Book Review - Yesterday

_{Short stories by AJ Barnett have been published since 1994 in magazines, summer specials and international competitions, been broadcast on radio and recorded for audio books.}

YESTERDAY - a collection of short stories that have either been placed in international competitions or previously published in glossy magazines - stories that tug at your heartstrings.

Anyone foolhardy enough to read this book might be advised to keep a box of tissues handy.

YESTERDAY is a follow-up to the popular book, SHORT MOMENTS, another collection of short stories - why fix it if it ain't broke...

Wot - No Sex?

If you enjoyed SHORT MOMENTS, chances are you will probably enjoy YESTERDAY. The stories are not sexually explicit, contain no violence, and are almost bound to extract a smile or a few tears.

If you want to step back from wham-bam exploits, and emerse yourself in a world of real emotion, then YESTERDAY is the book for you.

Contents:

1. The Biker
2. Take Your Partners
3. Forget-Me-Not Days
4. Ben And I
5. A Stroll In The Park
6. Seal Of Approval
7. Tomboy
8. Past Mistakes
9. The Punch And Judy Man
10. The Otter Boy

The Biker

• There had been another motorbike-mad lad. He'd been special too. There were always mechanical bits and pieces hanging around, particularly as a teenager.

Take Your Partners

• They danced very slowly. She enjoyed the atmosphere, felt as if she was drifting on a cloud. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, she knew how to savour it – yet she didn’t count on the repercussions.

Forget-Me-Not Days

• Gran’s notion of her lifestyle had been that it was a rucked old sack in need of smoothing out. She had the ability to put everything into perspective, did Gran. Melting moments of magic - that was Gran.

Ben And I

• Mum had been in a foul mood before I left, but I couldn’t really blame her. After our angry exchange, she started on the baking as if it were unarmed combat. Flour flew everywhere, and I knew it would be best if I left her to it. Dad might have to suffer her wrath while I was away, but that couldn’t be helped. I wasn’t Mum’s favourite person at the moment, and when swords were crossed everyone had to suffer.

A Stroll In The Park

• The little girl brushed her as they passed the big iron gates. For some reason she instinctively knew who the girl was. A minor indiscretion?

Seal Of Approval

• The room was dark with shadow. Green velvet-curtains smothered out daylight. The dark green carpet was well on its way to being threadbare. In the middle of the room, stood a round table covered with lace. An old long-case clock ticked away loudly in the hall.... “Is it haunted?”

Tomboy

• Rita rummaged in her bag. She was around fifty and had what Grant once described as a ‘well-worn’ face. Not that he meant it in a derogatory way, it was just that… well, she looked sort of…. comfortable.... She probably appeared older than her years because of the way she dressed, but she had a pleasant personality, a sensuous voice, and was mainstay of the local amateur dramatics society. She also had the dubious distinction of being mother to Dominic Jenning.

Past Mistakes

• She searched for a clever reply. It suddenly struck her that Mum was right, she did treat life too lightly. Now was as good a time as any to start being a little more serious. She cleared her throat again, but it didn’t clear the commotion in her head. She knew that what she did now, might affect her life forever.

The Punch And Judy Man

• A dozen conflicting feelings raced through me. It was ridiculous that mere words should conjure so much emotion, should drag so many memories into the rawness of the day. You’d think at my age I’d be able to control them. It isn’t as if I haven’t had practice, but it’s hard when I’m caught unawares. It could all have been yesterday, yet sometimes it seems as if it was I00 years ago. I still want to cry, even now.

The Otter Boy

• At the bottom of the hill, just before the wood, an old bridge crossed the brook. She paused for a while, watching water babble beneath. Running water fascinated her. She could stand for hours watching it gurgle and chatter – but the water held a secret.