Taboo-busting short stories can be hard to execute, running as they do the risk of putting readers off with near-the-knuckle subject matter and uncomfortable narrative re-creations, but Thomas Malloch’s techniques to keep you reading this story are skilful indeed. He adopts a first-person older female narrative voice that brings insight and humour to the opening of this prize-winning story. When his narrator starts to talk about oft-unmentioned issues like vaginal dryness and the practicalities of elder sex I winced. But the pragmatic humour and use of medical terminology offset this discomfiture enough for me to continue and once you’ve navigated past the geriatric sex, and cringed and laughed in equal amounts, you realise this story is about love and grief and loss and closeness and your original discomfiture morphs into empathy and understanding. Would I have stuck with this story if Thomas hadn’t been a feedback buddy? Not sure, but that would have been my genuine loss, so, you know, another valuable lesson learned.
First published by Ringwood Publishing 2023, and available to read here
A Personal Anthology 