Synopsis
Tom Saunders is the author of the outstanding collection of short stories, Brother, what strange place is this? Previous work has been published in the anthologies Pleasure Vessels and Voices from the Web. Brother, What Strange Place Is This? is Tom Saunders' first short story collection. "From the pagan brutalities of a Welsh island at the time of the Armada in The Seal Man to the quest for redemption of an English jazz pianist in modern day Cuba in The Calle de Obra Pia, the stories explore the complexities of history and art and the twists and turns of the human journey. Beautifully, often lyrically written, these stories reveal a keen and playful intelligence at work and all are executed with humour and compassion. The characters are, by turn, quirky, difficult, off beat and yet each is sympathetically rendered. The title story Brother, What Strange Place Is This? examines the relationship between two brothers, one excited by the possibilities of the 20th century, the other, a classical composer, mad with remorse over the instincts he is unable to discipline or understand. This is a truly remarkable debut, both original and imaginative. Not just a book for lovers of finely crafted short stories, but for everyone interested in the art of writing and in literature itself." - GATOR SPRINGS GAZETTE, a literary journal of the fictional persuasion. "Tom Saunders' "Brother, What Strange Place is This" gave her rippling spine-shivers for whole giddy paragraphs": 'It was gone midday before the composer's older brother, Alaric, was called to the hospital. Wings of his long leather overcoat beating, he flew out of the gates of the Curzon Motor Bicycle Company astride the prototype of the twin-cylinder Rapide Senior, the burnished steel of its petrol tank mirroring an unburnished sky. Swerving around a cairn of manure, he cut between an omnibus and a brewer's dray, the nearest horse rolling the yellow of an eye and baring its teeth in the style of a bad Hamlet. As he cut the corner into Dartington Street fine rain slapped his face and the rear wheel scrubbed an S on the wet road. Drab in their off-duty clothes, a trio of whores turned from a shop window to watch him tame the machine and rip on in a blue haze.' - The Bodega Babe, Bodega Survey (reviewing Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studios' All Story: Extra).

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: A jewel!, 23 Aug 2004 By  "bama5097962" - See all my reviews This much is clear: Tom Saunders loves his characters. In this compelling collection of stories, he takes you deep within each of his odd and multifaceted creations and steeps you like a tea bag in the warm juices of their essence so that as they come to life on the page, you are certain you have know them from their very births. You understand (without understanding the source of your knowledge) their motives, their fears, their weaknesses, the things that make them tick, that make them human. Saunders takes this diverse zoo of quirkiness, passion and humanity, and hurls it headlong at life, sowing in the process, an amazing assortment of stories, all grown organically from the characters he has so painstakingly crafted. These tales will delight you; they will make you laugh, make you cry, make you hurt, make you feel. They will reveal to you, in sumptuous and delicious prose, the whole spectrum of human emotion in all its relentless intensity. And they teach (obliquely and without being pedantic) something significant and reassuring about the human condition. Hard to pick favorites from this wonderful collection, but The Seal Man, a story of two very different sorts of outcasts finding human companionship in a world where the deck is stacked against them, is surely one of the best. So is the title story, a heartbreaking tale of brotherly love set against the backdrops of changing times and mental illness. And if Aunt Frank's Legacy doesn't absolutely delight your heart, then you are indeed a tough oyster to shuck. This is a terrific collection of short fiction from a gifted and able writer. Don't miss it.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: A style of his own, 23 Aug 2004 By  Robert W. Arter "Happy reader" (California) - See all my reviews    After decades of minimalism, modernism, and postmodernism, and batty maunderings, Saunders' careful, credible storytelling is as an oasis to the parched mind. My own personal favorite in this varied collection, The Calle de Obra Pia, will sit you down on a piano bench next to a man who is hopelessly in love. You may like him--and this is true of all of Saunders' characters--or you may not, but I tell you that you will care about him, you will know him, you will very likely find in him yourself. And this is the truth that infects Saunders' stories, and draws the reader into them: he does not write about Everyman; instead, he continues to show us variations on the species. None is wholly good nor entirely sympathetic. Each is as imperfect, as yearning, and as capable of greatness in small spaces as are you, as am I. This collection is clean air. Do yourself a favor.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: A wonderful collection of stories, 20 Aug 2004 By  Stephen Bennett (Oxford, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews    Tom Saunders has written a compelling collection. These stories span a variety of locations and time periods but they all demonstrate the author's simple but often beautiful prose. His characters are fully rounded human creations, complex and real, and Saunders' writing draws you in to their situations and surroundings. Funny, intriguing and moving, these stories are the work of a writer confident with his craft who doesn't feel the need to show off and allows his tales unfold at their own pace. A great collection that everyone should read.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 11 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews Elegant and elegaic Tom Saunders writes of a world deeper than the one we inhabit day to day, but which we all dip into at the lowest moments of our lives, or rise to at the peaks of our personal... Read more Published on 25 Dec 2004 by Kay Sexton Exquisite stories. It seems as if Tom Saunders has tuned into the deep dark secrets of our world, of happiness and sadness, and has articulated them in the stories collected in "Brother, what... Read more Published on 27 Nov 2004 by Kathryn Koromilas A Compeling Exploration Tom Saunders' collection is the work of a true artist. His writing leads you through a range of human interaction and emotion. Read more Published on 16 Aug 2004 by Ed Touchette Brothers and sisters, what fine work this is! I had read a couple of Tom Saunders stories in online journals, so I came to this collection expecting quality. Read more Published on 11 Aug 2004 by fandango-vee Excellent!! An amazing debut. These stories are beautifully written, brilliantly executed. Plus - within these very varied stories, a cast of memorable characters. Read more Published on 11 Aug 2004 by Mary McCluskey fantastic, eclectic collection British author Tom Saunders' debut collection of short stories, <i>Brother, What Strange Place is This</i> is a glorious success. Read more Published on 10 Aug 2004 by susan_d Compelling This collection of stories represents the work of a remarkable writer. Tom Saunders' skill and craftsmanship will carry you from beginning to end in uncommon and very satisfying... Read more Published on 10 Aug 2004 Best short anthology in last five years Tom Saunders is my new favorite short story writer. Brother, What Strange Place is This? could be an anthology of the best English Language Short Stories of 2004. Read more Published on 23 Jun 2004 by Webb Johnson Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 11 customer reviews...