Another story that celebrates a new life and the atavistic hold that children have on the imagination. A variety of characters, each realistically depicted in their everyday setting, are haunted by a mysterious figure. The figure is gradually revealed as a kind of premonition, not a ghost from the past, but the promise of the future. At the story’s end we discover what brings these characters together, despite the differences between them. I enjoyed all the stories in Jane Rogers’ collection, whether set in the contemporary world or a dystopian future, but what I love especially about this one is the importance it gives to the unique experience of becoming a grandparent.
First published in The Independent on Sunday, 23 December 2012; collected in Fire-Ready, Comma Press 2024
A Personal Anthology 