![]() ![]() Deprived of life itself, these others enter different states of being. Many of the characters in these stories are creative ‘others’ who experience the world in a way different to the norm and so find themselves victimised, bullied and cast out. This small story is beautifully cadenced, setting the tone with its themes of seemingly isolated individuals whose imagination and love of the natural world sustain them against the misunderstandings of those closest to them and society as a whole. ‘That sort of person…said my mother…would always have difficulty fitting in.’ (p.2) Years later, when news arrives that all the lighthouses in New Zealand are being automated, the narrator thinks of the lighthouse keeper. As each name slipped from the lips of the lighthouse keeper, with tales of whales and seals and solitude, my father’s face filled with longing.’ (p.1) ![]() ‘Red Knot, Caspian tern, Mongolian dotterel. The book opens with a story called ‘The lighthouse keeper.’ Soul Etchings is Sandra Arnold’s debut collection of flash fiction, and many of the pieces here have been previously published in literary journals and anthologies. ![]()
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