This is Michael Hill’s most recent book of short stories which reflects and develops his established way of thinking whilst preserving the poetic nature of his style. Importantly, he still confronts the fact that human nature never changes: with the result that many of these tales feature the age-old sins of selfishness and deceit. Hill, however, is wary of rash judgements; and although he frequently responds to negative circumstances with humour, he sometimes feels compelled to point the finger at seriously bad behaviour... And yet, by contrast, much of his output remains optimistic and transformative.

 

Hill’s stories are always alive. They are also characterised by an extremely broad range of themes:the response to a national disaster, for example; the tragic life and death of an Islington window cleaner; the simple beauty of a riverside revisited after a lifetime’s absence; a vision of sunlight on water or a fundamental flaw in the relationship between two sisters.

 

All of which guarantees that ‘A Letter from Marigold’ is an enthralling and often surprising read in which the writer thinks deeply about ordinary people and places. It’s an absorbing successor to his previous collection. And there’s never a dull moment.