This anthology of short stories is written by women with determination, who give credence and support to that silent minority who have lost their voice due to physical and mental abuse, as well as those fortunate ones who found strength through adversity. There were two flash fiction shorties which I particularly enjoyed.
The first is "Amulet and Feathers," written by Leila Abovlela, fiction winner for the Scottish Book Awards and recipient of the Cain prize for African writing. Her style has a childlike straightforwardness, lending itself to the main character, a young African girl disguised as a boy and journeying to Gobir in order to avenge her father's death; at once, giving us a peek into African tribal culture not to speak of sleeping alone in the jungle darkness; smelling the "...animals hunger." In her loss and desire for revenge, she has an awakening: her father appears in a dream and advises her for the last time, speaking to her of destiny and of the futility of anger.
My second favorite in this collection of thirteen, excellent but diverse, short stories; each with a different style and voice, is Jane Risdon's, "The Debt Collector." It is a thriller that doesn't advertise its content but gradually slides into my thought thus making it impossible to put down. With each page, I wanted to know more and more about this young woman who acts as a conduit for paying off debts. She is a hit man. Excuse me, I meant to say hit woman ... better still, let's call her what she is: a killer.
For those who enjoy short stories (and please count me in), I recommend "The I Am Woman Anthology." I'm waiting for Volume 11.