Histories | Sam Guglani | Review

Histories | Sam Guglani | Review

• Tuesday, 19 December 2017

I love short story collections. I particularly love short story collections with a very narrow focus, which is exactly what I got when I sat down to read Histories by Sam Guglani. This collection is a series of snippets from people’s lives. The common thread running through it? They’re all in a hospital. From med students to chaplains, and artists to oncologists, everyone in the hospital has their own story to tell.

The stories are all set in the same week, though Guglani writes the past brilliantly in his work. Rather than stumbling over it, they are intricately woven within each of the stories he offers his reader.

Many of the tales within Histories interconnected, brushing past one another with masterful subtlety. It is very cleverly done, that is for sure. It doesn’t feel at all overdone but helps you to piece together some mysteries within. You can also tell who does, and doesn’t, interact as all of the individuals within Histories go about their daily lives in a hospital for a week.

Guglani’s writing is simply beautiful. It’s sparse and impactful, to the point of almost being poetic. He creates wonderful characters and shows a fantastic understanding of just what it is like to be human. I sincerely hope that I will be able to read some more of his work soon.

Kelly x