"For the sake of argument, let’s agree that a short story collection is a lot like a debut LP. The lines aren’t exactly parallel, but the inexact comparison serves to introduce the idea of presenting a body of work to the world’s scrutiny for the first time, and all the pride and anxiety that must entail. This is the opportunity for the artist to set out their stall, to define their voice, to select the pieces they most want to be heard. There’s a lifetime’s experience in their shaping, so much clamouring to be said, and barely enough time to say it. It is to Sonya Moor’s credit that, with The Comet, she has shaped a collection that, while capturing something of the singularity of her voice, does not feel the need to be hidebound by genre. There’s a range here, a cultural exchange harking back to the days when recording artists such as Petula Clark recorded their hits in French and English." #TheComet #NorthernSoul #SonyaMoor #shortstorycollection #shortstorycollections #bookreviews ...