Overview

Hannah Vincent's short stories depict the ordinary and extraordinary lives of women coping with the demands of society, the demands of men, of their fellow women, of their own bodies. At the centre of each story is a woman engaged in an act of self-preservation.  In one story, a young woman on the cusp of adulthood tries to express the horror and violence she perceives in the world around her. In another, a teenage mother struggles to look after her child in the face of her obsession with the baby's father. One character experiences the freedom of the workplace while another perceives its constraints. One discovers how far her career has pushed her out to the margins of family life while another contemplates retirement. In the title story, a woman catches a whiff of what respect and reciprocal attraction feels like.  Women in these stories are exhilarated to discover the joy and surprise of other women's company, they make bold sexual choices and go on night-time excursions. As grandmothers they give their grandchildren unsuitable presents.

Full Product Details

9781912408382

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Hannah Vincent's stories are as minimal as Raymond Carver, and as clever as Raymond Carver: nothing is ever as it seems then you turn the page and are surprised again.' Lisa Blower; 'Hannah Vincent practises a sort of believe-it-or-not deadpan surrealism to write about what really interests her-people, humanity, how we all get on, or get along or, in some cases, just get by. She-Clown is an excellent example.' Nicholas Royle, editor of Best British Short Stories; 'Hannah Vincent writes tight, spares no words and pulls no punches. From clown paint to oesophageal frogs, her stories are often strange, always sharp and like to linger.' Alice Slater; 'Hannah Vincent's short stories are the fictional sisters of Judy Chicago's epic feminist artwork, 'The Dinner Party'. The language, the worlds and the characters are glorious. I loved that each character felt like a deep and richly textured slice, each from a different and magnificent cake.' Julia Crouch

'...A solid piece of fiction! Hannah Vincent has written an ethereal and extremely insightful collection ... Beautifully structured, ingenious storytelling, immensely powerful and a sating read. It is the perfect book to pick up during quarantine with its fierceness and lighthearted vibe. This gets my most enthusiastic recommendation.' - The Biblio Sara. 'I enjoyed these short stories so much ... in every story she lures you into a whole new world, full of surprises and complex characters ... one of the best short story collections I've read.' - Femi Books. 'Writing about women takes a lot of courage and sensitivity. In this case, Vincent delves deeper into the feminine psyche, and incorporates them into her characters. With a greater understanding of their emotions and behaviour, these characters become sublime and multi-faceted. She's a talented writer whose strength lies in turning ordinary stories into something extraordinary. Ultimately, She-Clown and Other Stories is a page-turner, and with every page, it will invigorate your soul. Now, that certainly establishes her as one of the freshest voices in contemporary fiction.' - Yang Ming, Ink Pantry. 'Reminiscent of Miranda July ... the magic of her stories lies in the mundane.' - Jodie Reads Books. 'Gorgeous cover illustration by her sister, did sway me to indulge but what's between the covers is so intriguing and every word chosen with power and care. A modern Katherine Mansfield and this book will sit alongside other favourite collections by Miranda July, Tove Jannson and Angela Carter.' - Originary Arts. 'Hannah is an incredible writer.' - City Books Bookshop. 'If you're looking for some fabulous new stories, we can highly recommend Hannah Vincent's collection of short stories. [They are] exactly what we need right now!' - Feminist Bookshop Brighton. 'I read She Clown and other stories in a single day. These short stories, which follow the lives of women as they 'perform' their femininity, go from the ordinary to the surreal.' - Yasminerosereads. 'Vincent explores her feminist theme with wit and humour, occasionally bringing her readers up short with a touch of the surreal. It takes quite a degree of discipline to tell a story in ten pages or fewer, as so many of the pieces in this collection are, but Vincent carries it off beautifully. Her sharp attention to detail, smartly demonstrated in Woman of the Year, and clean, spare writing coupled with the delivery of more than a few surprises, small twists and subversive details, make this a pleasing collection.' - A Life in Books. 'A stylistically varied collection [and] a thought-provoking read. And, for the diligent reader, a special surprise unfolds in the final story.' - Anne Hill, Sussex Life. 'From the ordinary to the magical, Vincent's entertaining stories are fresh, thoughtful and surprising.' - Antonia Charlesworth, Big Issue North. 'Quirky, provocative, and fabulous, these short stories highlight everyday normality and yet firmly shake the roots of your thoughts. A decidedly different collection of 16 stories that I can wholeheartedly recommend.' - Liz Robinson, Love Reading. 'Hannah Vincent's short stories are the fictional sisters of Judy Chicago's epic feminist artwork, 'The Dinner Party'. The language, the worlds and the characters are glorious. I loved that each character felt like a deep and richly textured slice, each from a different and magnificent cake.' - Julia Crouch. 'Hannah Vincent's stories are as minimal as Raymond Carver, and as clever as Raymond Carver: nothing is ever as it seems then you turn the page and are surprised again.' - Lisa Blower. 'Hannah Vincent practises a sort of believe-it-or-not deadpan surrealism to write about what really interests her-people, humanity, how we all get on, or get along or, in some cases, just get by. She-Clown is an excellent example.' - Nicholas Royle, editor of Best British Short Stories. 'A strong overall collection ... Lyrical, emotive and I felt deeply absorbed in each setting despite how short they were.' - The Feminist Nook. 'Hannah Vincent writes tight, spares no words and pulls no punches. From clown paint to oesophageal frogs, her stories are often strange, always sharp and like to linger.' - Alice Slater. 'A collection that speaks of small triumphs, of the everyday, with quite sarcastic language at times. Of course, although it is a relatively daily and intimate narrative, there is room for elements typical of fantasy and fairy tales.' - Rubencubiella, Bookstagrammer. 'Hannah is an absolute superstar and we love this collection of stories which depict the ordinary and extraordinary lives of women coping with the demands of society, of men, of their fellow women and of their own bodies.' - The Feminist Bookshop.

'...A solid piece of fiction! Hannah Vincent has written an ethereal and extremely insightful collection ... Beautifully structured, ingenious storytelling, immensely powerful and a sating read. It is the perfect book to pick up during quarantine with its fierceness and lighthearted vibe. This gets my most enthusiastic recommendation.'-The Biblio Sara; 'I enjoyed these short stories so much ... in every story she lures you into a whole new world, full of surprises and complex characters ... one of the best short story collections I've read.'-Femi Books; 'Writing about women takes a lot of courage and sensitivity. In this case, Vincent delves deeper into the feminine psyche, and incorporates them into her characters. With a greater understanding of their emotions and behaviour, these characters become sublime and multi-faceted. She's a talented writer whose strength lies in turning ordinary stories into something extraordinary. Ultimately, She-Clown and Other Stories is a page-turner, and with every page, it will invigorate your soul. Now, that certainly establishes her as one of the freshest voices in contemporary fiction.'-Yang Ming, Ink Pantry; 'Reminiscent of Miranda July ... the magic of her stories lies in the mundane.'-Jodie Reads Books; 'Gorgeous cover illustration by her sister, did sway me to indulge but what's between the covers is so intriguing and every word chosen with power and care. A modern Katherine Mansfield and this book will sit alongside other favourite collections by Miranda July, Tove Jannson and Angela Carter.'-Originary Arts; 'Hannah is an incredible writer.'-City Books Bookshop; 'If you're looking for some fabulous new stories, we can highly recommend Hannah Vincent's collection of short stories. [They are] exactly what we need right now!'-Feminist Bookshop Brighton; 'I read She Clown and other stories in a single day. These short stories, which follow the lives of women as they 'perform' their femininity, go from the ordinary to the surreal.'-Yasminerosereads; 'Vincent explores her feminist theme with wit and humour, occasionally bringing her readers up short with a touch of the surreal. It takes quite a degree of discipline to tell a story in ten pages or fewer, as so many of the pieces in this collection are, but Vincent carries it off beautifully. Her sharp attention to detail, smartly demonstrated in Woman of the Year, and clean, spare writing coupled with the delivery of more than a few surprises, small twists and subversive details, make this a pleasing collection.'-A Life in Books; 'A stylistically varied collection [and] a thought-provoking read. And, for the diligent reader, a special surprise unfolds in the final story.'-Anne Hill, Sussex Life; 'From the ordinary to the magical, Vincent's entertaining stories are fresh, thoughtful and surprising.'-Antonia Charlesworth, Big Issue North; 'Quirky, provocative, and fabulous, these short stories highlight everyday normality and yet firmly shake the roots of your thoughts. A decidedly different collection of 16 stories that I can wholeheartedly recommend.'-Liz Robinson, Love Reading; 'Hannah Vincent's short stories are the fictional sisters of Judy Chicago's epic feminist artwork, 'The Dinner Party'. The language, the worlds and the characters are glorious. I loved that each character felt like a deep and richly textured slice, each from a different and magnificent cake.'-Julia Crouch; 'Hannah Vincent's stories are as minimal as Raymond Carver, and as clever as Raymond Carver: nothing is ever as it seems then you turn the page and are surprised again.'-Lisa Blower; 'Hannah Vincent practises a sort of believe-it-or-not deadpan surrealism to write about what really interests her-people, humanity, how we all get on, or get along or, in some cases, just get by. She-Clown is an excellent example.'-Nicholas Royle, editor of Best British Short Stories; 'A strong overall collection ... Lyrical, emotive and I felt deeply absorbed in each setting despite how short they were.'-The Feminist Nook; 'Hannah Vincent writes tight, spares no words and pulls no punches. From clown paint to oesophageal frogs, her stories are often strange, always sharp and like to linger.'-Alice Slater

Author Information

Hannah Vincent is a novelist and playwright. She studied Drama and English at the University of East Anglia and completed the MA in Creative Writing at Kingston University. She has a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Sussex. Hannah teaches Creative Writing on the Open University’s MA and life writing on the Autobiography and Life writing programme at New Writing South. She lives in Brighton. She is the author of two novels, Alarm Girl and The Weaning (Salt). Her debut short story collection, She-Clown, and other stories is available now.

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