It’s gone dark over Bill’s Mother’s by Lisa Blower

Short-stories set in Stoke The matriarch dominates these award-winning stories in Lisa Blower’s debut collection. From the wise, witty and outspoken Nan of Broken Crockery, who has lived and worked in Stoke-on-Trent for all of her 92 years, to happy hooker Ruthie in The Land of Make Believe and sleep-deprived Laura in The Trees in the Wood, she appears in many shapes and forms, and always with a stoicism that is hard to break down. Who remembers holidays in Barmouth and what’s the secret of Featherbed Lane? Lisa Blower won The Guardian’s National Short Story competition in 2009, was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award in 2013.