Author(s): Gillian Hagenus (Editor)

Anthologies

Neglected by society, a group of caravanning 60-somethings encounter a place where time stops. A baby swims in a witch’s cauldron. A statue of Jesus grows fat off fish and chips. An ancient Egyptian God swims through the sewers under a suburban street and a desperate family harvests the fingers they find growing in their soil after their final food supplies wither.Strangely Enough is a celebration of the far-reaching possibilities of short fiction from some of Australia’s most creatively ambitious minds. Surreal and haunting, funny and gripping, these intensely strange tales encompass what it means to grieve, love, wonder, fear and change, each ultimately offering something entirely unexpected and strangely, deeply human.‘Strangely Enough is an unsettling yet moreish anthology. Many of these stories skilfully recognise that strangeness lives close to home, in the mundane – in a row of slippers, in mushrooms, in broth, in our own fallible bodies that can be cut down by a whiff of pollen or a miniature man with a surfboard; some stories suggest that peace can be found in the most unlikely places, and that strange happenings present opportunities to find our authentic selves; while other stories are quick, potent darts shot out from the shadowy nooks of the authors' imaginations. I look forward to the next time I encounter the work of these talented writers — I look forward to the bewilderment, terror, and delight.’ — Elizabeth Tan, author of Rubik and Smart Ovens for Lonely People‘Strangely Enough is a treasure box of the gloriously weird. A Christ statue grows fat on fast food, a band of miniature surfers seeks the perfect wave, a woman welcomes a cat into her home to bizarre consequences. This wonderful anthology, curated by the team behind the Australian Short Story Festival, is a must read for anyone who delights in the strange, the dark and the twisted.’ — Wayne Marshall, author of Shirl