SEVEN EMPTY HOUSES

★★★☆☆ by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan

McDowell, Oneworld Publications, £12.99, ebook £7.99

A short story collection by the Argentinian-born author. There are seven strange tales here with vivid

characters and writing as smooth as butter. In the opener, a woman sneaks into other people’s houses to rearrange things; then there’s the story of a search for two kids who have gone missing with their naked grandparents; and the disturbing tale of a young girl who is led away from a hospital by a stranger. Arguably the best story is Breath From The Depths – the longest in the collection – about an elderly woman suffering life-long grief and mental and physical decline, as she prepares for the inevitability of death. These tales are unusual, often unsettling, with undertones of menace throughout.