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Books : Fiction : Contemporary Fiction: 1970 Onwards : Authors A-Z : M : Manby, Chris
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There's something exceptionally comforting about a short story collection like Girls' Night Out, Boys' Night In. Firstly, there's the choice--this is a truly bumper package, with more than 30 stories by some of contemporary fiction's most familiar names including Kathy Lette, Matt Beaumont, Mike Gayle, Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees. Not only is there some superb writing on offer but you're guaranteed there'll be a story for every mood you're in--be it optimism, anger, revenge, love or hatred. And if you embark on a story you don't like--and there may be a few of those--you can just move on. A few pages further on, there'll be another to grab you, such as "Obedience", the story of a local murder (a nasty stabbing with a cauliflower knife) told by a man more interested in his puppy's progress at obedience classes; or "Delivering Happyware", in which two teenage girls struggle with crushes and their summer job as door-to-door touters of "speedy mops", freezer boxes and toast cutters; or even "Little Boots", an "unfairy" tale about a man whose wife has long since become preoccupied with everything but him and his new dog--a rangy beast with outsized paws and a face full of teeth the size of hunting knives. Like Nick Hornby's Speaking with the Angel, Girls' Night Out, Boys' Night In has been produced for a good cause. One pound of every copy sold will go to War Child, a charity working for children in war zones whose lives have been torn apart by conflict. --Jane Honey
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In Running Away From Richard, the latest novel from Chris Manby, Lizzie Jordan has just been dumped by the love of her life. He told her he didn't want her anymore. After four years. And he couldn't even give her any explanation. Welcome to the world where the heartbroken heroine is busy transforming herself from the Lady of Shallot, "abandoned and beautifully pitiful, to Lady Macbeth, "mad, obsessed, deranged". To make matters worse, her best friend is getting married, and she's bridesmaid; as she despairingly puts it: "I felt like the last remaining human being caught at a WI meeting with the Stepford Wives". Drastic situations need drastic measures so, after spending weeks crying and moping in her parents' house, Lizzie decides to ditch the emotional recriminations and get a grip, by moving to LA to become an actress.Manby's version of the Hollywood dream is not a fairy tale romance of stardom and sparkle, instead it's a witty, wise look at nightmare situations, and the true value of friendships--of the fine but eccentric kind. Lizzie moves into a cockroach-infested house near Venice beach with Fat Joe from Balham and gets work as a waitress in Lady Boys, a transvestite bar. Through a series of mad-cap escapades and some genuine sadness she stops being a "jellyfish with no opinion on anything that doesn't relate to her or her ex-boyfriend" to someone who is "feisty and bright and opinionated"--just like this hugely enjoyable book in fact. --Eithne Farry
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In Running Away From Richard, the latest novel from Chris Manby, Lizzie Jordan has just been dumped by the love of her life. He told her he didn't want her anymore. After four years. And he couldn't even give her any explanation. Welcome to the world where the heartbroken heroine is busy transforming herself from the Lady of Shallot, "abandoned and beautifully pitiful, to Lady Macbeth, "mad, obsessed, deranged". To make matters worse, her best friend is getting married, and she's bridesmaid; as she despairingly puts it: "I felt like the last remaining human being caught at a WI meeting with the Stepford Wives". Drastic situations need drastic measures so, after spending weeks crying and moping in her parents' house, Lizzie decides to ditch the emotional recriminations and get a grip, by moving to LA to become an actress.Manby's version of the Hollywood dream is not a fairy tale romance of stardom and sparkle, instead it's a witty, wise look at nightmare situations, and the true value of friendships--of the fine but eccentric kind. Lizzie moves into a cockroach-infested house near Venice beach with Fat Joe from Balham and gets work as a waitress in Lady Boys, a transvestite bar. Through a series of mad-cap escapades and some genuine sadness she stops being a "jellyfish with no opinion on anything that doesn't relate to her or her ex-boyfriend" to someone who is "feisty and bright and opinionated"--just like this hugely enjoyable book in fact. --Eithne Farry
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Most girls know the best nights in consist of other girlie friends, a few bottles of vino (or devilish cocktail concoctions) and a good goss. A Girls Night In provides all this and more between the pages of its cover. A collection of short stories by 32 of the UK's most up-and-coming female authors, this intoxicating anthology is a heady blend of heartbreaks, highs and hit-and-misses. With each writer's distinct perspective and personal style flowing, no two stories are alike--although they all deal with a perennial theme: the battle of the sexes. Contributors include Marian Keyes, Lisa Jewell, Wendy Holden, Amy Jenkins and many, many more. Marian Keyes' "The Truth is Out There" is an unusual, screwball spin on getting over a broken heart--a young woman in the process of a break-up is unwittingly assisted by "a small, yellow, transparent creature who liked to be called Bib", with an eye for the ladies. Lisa Jewell's "Rudy" looks at affairs of the heart from a rare male perspective--the stalker--leaving many a reader, oddly enough, with a wry smile. Innovative, wacky titles abound to induce the reader in: "E-Male of the Species", "Dougie, Spoons and the Aquarium Solarium" and "The Seven Steps from Shag to Spouse". Whether you are drawn to a familiar writer or someone new, you can dip in and out of these tales at whim, gaining a taster of whether you could enjoy a full course of their longer fiction. Either way, raise a glass to toast this eclectic mix of authors united to raise funds for War Child. Proceeds--£1 from every book sold--will promote a Child's Safe Play programme in the Balkans and an educational programme in Rwanda. --Nicola Perry
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