A BookViral Review Of Tales For My Dog By David Heidenstam

Literary praise for Tales for my dog: “Wonderful stories: remind me of shorter versions of Aesop’s Fables or the Persian stories of Mullah Azrudin.” Editor of a long-established UK literary journal

“Really worth reading.” Peter Finch, UK poet, author, critic
“..highly original.. [The] writing is extraordinary.. I was staggered by some of the lines…” Philippa Donovan, founder of SmartQuill.

The BookViral Review: Genre – Literary Short Stories

The form of the short story is so extensive and diverse that they more often than not miss their intended mark but Heidenstam has it down to a fine art. Through perfectly pitched dialogue and delicately measured details, he quickly draws you in with the sureness of his literary voice. Clearly demonstrating a gift for character, satire and social nuance he takes snapshots of life and explores them from unique and wide-ranging perspectives. Ranging in tone from hauntingly beautiful to dark and foreboding. Making The Omelette, for example, begins warm and congenial but in the closing sentence, you realise you just read something dark and cruel. Lighter stories include The Lost Master which sees a dog put up posters for the master he has lost but a common theme running through Heidenstam’s narratives is the ways in which people often fail to connect. 

Short-form fiction prose can often feel devoid of life but Heidenstam brings a refreshing and emotionally charged sense of immediacy to his words which is wholly original and unerringly authentic. Tales for my dog: 80 microfictions from humour to horror is recommended without reservation.