This is one of best collections of short stories I’ve come across. (Despite the fact that the publisher tried to market it as a novel). At its heart is the dark sibling rivalry between the eponymous characters. There’s one story in the collection called ‘The Point’ where something horrifying happens with a thorn… I don’t want to reveal too much about ‘Radio Baby’ either, only that it concerns a woman bringing her third newborn home from the hospital a few days earlier than expected. Davies’ writing seems simple and concise, but at the same time it vibrates with violence and power.

From Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Beautiful, Parthian, 2008