The Triumph of Goliathia Tremayne by Catherine Leyshon
The Triumph of Goliathia Tremayne by Catherine Leyshon is a wonderfully funny short story set near Camborne.
Up Frogs by Ross james is about a young boy who grows up too soon when the closure of South Crofty tin mine causes his world to collapse. Written from the boy’s point of view as he struggles to make sense of what lies beneath the surface. His unlikely sanctuary is a patch of industrial wasteland.
The line “the brambles swipe at my arms, unzipping my skin, and I see the red below the surface” (which is reprised at the story’s end) really resounds with me in this wonderful retelling of the effects of unemployment on a Cornish family after the closure of South Crofty mine near Camborne. The ripped skin caused by uncaring corporate decisions reveals that beneath it lies the life blood of community, of real people’s lives. The neat metaphor of the loss of the young boy’s ‘lucky’ brass toad resounds with the loss of his working father’s pride and the consequent devastation of a seemingly happy life.
Before this loss, the boy’s life seems almost idyllic as he basks in the sunshine at Up Frogs and in the pride he has for his father. We are viewing the dismantling of a community through the eyes of one child mindful of the fact that there would be hundreds of others suffering in the same way.
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The Triumph of Goliathia Tremayne by Catherine Leyshon is a wonderfully funny short story set near Camborne.
Up Frogs by Ross james is about a young boy who grows up too soon when the closure of South Crofty tin mine causes his world to collapse.
“Welcome to Cornwall – the one you might not know about” was hilarious and yet sensitively pried open the darker side of second homes, the closure of Crofty and living four miles from the sea in Camborne, Pool and Redruth but never having visited or even seen it.
Cornwall Secret and Hidden book review by Linda Camidge: well-paced and assured reveals often notable for physicality and visual strength
The Cornwall Secret and Hidden book review by Gray Lightfoot gives an overview of the short stories and a deeper dive into his favourites.
‘She couldn’t pull the thin blanket up to snuggle down as it was gripping the far end of the bed with all its might.’
The Cornwall Secret and Hidden Publishing Campaign successfully fundraised to publish the work of local authors in our anthology.
Cornwall Secret and Hidden by Cornwall Writers is an eclectic collection of short stories written by authors in Cornwall.
Our Secret and Hidden Book Cover Designer is Lucy H Smith, a freelance illustrator inspired by nature and wildlife in Cornwall.
These Little Moments in Time by Lamorna Ireland is a beautifully poignant story set near Coombe creek in Cornwall.