Bryony Rheam's short story collection to be published in July 2023

 

'Bryony Rheam’s short stories are skilled, perfectly formed, and compelling; the characters are largely outsiders – whether geographically, culturally or emotionally – and completely realised, inhabiting detailed and believable worlds. In all, Whatever Happened to Rick Astley? is a deeply satisfying collection.' Karen Jennings

'Whatever Happened to Rick Astley?, Bryony Rheam’s brilliantly titled and wonderful collection of short stories, deals with loss—loss of identity, loss of memory, loss of country, loss of someone you love. While the theme seems to be a heavy one, the stories capture the beauty and the magic of the ordinary. There is nostalgia here for what once was, but there is also a lot of hope for what could be. Anything that can give us hope in today’s day and age is truly amazing—and that is what this collection is.' Siphiwe Ndlovu

'Bryony Rheam's wry humour is a bridge that connects genre fiction to literature. These beautifully crafted stories will satisfy all expectations.' John Eppel

Whatever happened to Rick Astley? She imagined that he was happily married with children. A record producer, perhaps? That was the usual way with singers, wasn’t it?

From Bryony Rheam, the award-winning author of All Come to Dust and This September Sun, comes a collection of sixteen short stories shining a spotlight on life in Zimbabwe over the last twenty years. The daily routines and the greater fate of ordinary Zimbabweans are represented with a deft, compassionate touch and flashes of humour.

From the potholed side streets of Bulawayo to lush, blooming gardens, traversing down- at-heel bars and faded drawing rooms, the stories in Whatever Happened to Rick Astley? ring with hope and poignancy, and pay tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.

Whatever Happened to Rick Astley? is due to be published by Parthian Books and amaBooks in the UK in July and by amaBooks in Zimbabwe at a date to be announced.

Bryony says of the collection that: 'Each story reflects something of my life in Zimbabwe over the last twenty years. It has not been an easy time for this country, but it is also not one without hope and joy.'