Frail Little Embers - Fija Callaghan - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Fija Callaghan

GENRE: Short Story Collection

PUBLICATION DATE: February 13, 2025

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A collection of stories that dwell between realism and magical realism. Character-driven, literary, melancholic yet hopeful. A powerful debut that will work better when you are in the mood for thoughtful reading.

This debut collection contains twenty-one stories, each of which is focussed on discovering strength and hope in times of despair. Most of the stories are thus somewhat melancholic in tone.

There is no author’s note introducing this collection, but the author’s bio at the end of the book mentions that this set was “created to inspire hope in times of darkness.” It stays true to this purpose throughout. The title is quite powerful, proving how even “frail little embers” can be enough to keep the spark alive and even burst into flame when needed.

The blurb indicates that these are tales of myth, folklore and magic. Accordingly, many of the story take a step into the whimsical. None of the stories are outright fantastical, even when their cast of characters contains selkies or genies or shapeshifters. Most contain a small splash of magic, sometimes through fairytale retellings or lore-inspired fables.

The stories are mostly universal, with only a couple of them revealing the locale they are set in. Some of them are written in a different format, such as in verse (Never works for me; I’m a poetry-phobe) and epistolary (always love this style!)

The stories are character-focussed and penned in beautiful prose that speaks volumes. You cannot rush through the tales because there is so much unsaid. So this collection would work better if you pick it up when you have the time to read at leisure and to understand what’s between the lines. Every story is distinct, so there is no feeling of déjà vu across the tales.

The endings are positive without being forced HEAs. Though not all the stories have sealed completions, most of the tales part on the right note, where you can just about see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, a couple of the stories could have benefitted with more precise, well-rounded endings. (Especially ‘One Hundred Words for Loss’ – such a beautiful tale but the ending left me confounded.)

Every story is preceded by an intricate B&W illustration that makes even more sense AFTER you read the tale.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the twenty-one stories, nine stories reached or crossed the 4 stars mark. Most of the rest were between 3 to 3.5 stars. So a majority of the stories worked very well for me. These are my top favourites with 4+ stars each:

🌞 Life, Death, and Other Complications: A lovely story about what living really means. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌞 To the Waters and the Wild: A melancholic story about a bond that highlights the difference between true love and possessive love. Couldn’t predict how this one would end. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🌞 Dear Audrey: An entertaining epistolary short story. I could see where it was going but the proceedings were still fun. One of the lightest stories in the book, though the situation is far from funny. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🌞 Lost Men: An interesting spin-off about the Darling kids from Peter Pan. You'll like this better if you know the original classic. (Not the Disney version.) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🌞 Fox Song: Absolutely not what I had expected! A beautiful combination of reality and fantasy. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🌞 Last Wish: A touching story about a parent's love. Sometimes, even a predictable story creates a great impact through the author’s choice of words. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🌞 The Edge of Morning: An amazing vignette-style story whose significance is enhanced if you keep the first line in mind throughout. The lack of a linear pattern created some confusion in my head, else this was an easy 5 star. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌞 Songbird: A story told from a child’s perspective. Appreciated the hopeful end, else this was a heart-breaking one. Adults rarely realise how their personal struggles also affect their children. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🌞 The Story Doctor: The magic of bibliotherapy. Need I say more? A wonderful story to end the book with a smile on one’s face. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

All in all, this is a really impressive debut that delves into various human emotions and captures the journey from darkness to light. Diverse in characters, emotions and circumstances, this collection offers much to reflect upon and rejoice over.

Definitely recommended to short story lovers, preferably those who are literary fiction readers and also enjoy fantasy in small doses. This is not to be read at a go but to be savoured a slice at a time.

3.75 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each story.

My thanks to Neem Tree Press and Unbound for providing the DRC of “Frail Little Embers” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.