The Voice in My Ear by Frances Leviston is a thought-provoking collection of ten linked stories exploring the dysfunctional relationships between mothers and daughters.

It rarely happens that I find a short story collection in which I want to finish every single story, but this one managed to do it. I think the author chose such an unusual mix of uncanny within mundane settings that it works just perfectly to make you want more. The characters are sketched just enough for you to be curious but do not lack any crucial information that would prevent you from being interested. My two favourite stories would probably be "Patience" and "No Two Were E'er Wed". I would definitely read whole novels based on the majority of the short stories.

Thank you NetGalley UK for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A curious and interesting fiction debut by a well-known poet. Each of the ten stories in the book are about a woman called Claire, though they are not all about the *same* woman. In the end I found this gimmick a bit annoying as it had me looking for connections that I don't think were there, rather than enjoying each story in its own right. The stories themselves are often very good. I loved "Patience", "With Them Intercede For Us All", "Would You Rather" and especially "Muster's Puppets Presents." I struggled with what message was meant to be conveyed by some of the others, particularly "The Voice In My Ear" and "No Two Were E'er Wed." In the end, I think this would have worked better for me if it had just been ten separate stories, without the distracting device of the protagonists all being named Claire.

The Voice in My Ear is a collection of stories about ten women called Claire, all with different ages and relationships. The stories are all distinct, but also have connecting themes (and the connecting name) which make it the kind of story collection that feels like a complete whole rather than stories put together. Relationships and mothers recur throughout the stories, which are mostly slices of contemporary life (though there is one about an android).

Some of the stories feel more like snapshots that separate stories, and generally the collection feels like you are moving between each Claire rather than having distinct start and end points for each. The writing draws you in and is easily readable, and the stories offer a sometimes bleak and unsettling look at different women's lives. From the blurb I had expected more of a connection, or maybe more of a sense of an overall meaning or resolution, but if you go in expecting slightly linked short stories it'll make more sense.