Reviews

Wish I Was Here by Jackie Kay

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katebushofficial's review against another edition

5.0

stunner 👍👍👍 stand outs for me were my daughter the fox, wish i was here & the mirrored twins

I don't usually like short story collections because I get so involved and then it's over so quickly. This book though, was such a lovely read. Jackie Kay's writing is so light-hearted while still portraying extremely loving and intense feelings.

edeh's review

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reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

littearacy's review

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4.0

I really like Jackie Kay, I love her poems and I loved Trumpet. This was the first time I read her short stories and I just got so lost in them. The way she writes about love is simply true and real.

nadia's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.0

A solid collection. I just really liked it. The characters felt so real and fleshed out and I did enjoy reading a collection with stories on the longer side. I also like the theme of love and relationships around middle-aged queer characters. It was more on the emotional, sad side, but lots of touches of humour sprinkled throughout.

Content Warnings

abbie_'s review

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emotional funny sad medium-paced

4.25

A moving collection centring (usually) middle-aged queer stories that I loved in June! I read and loved Jackie Kay’s Trumpet back in 2020, but since I collect most of my books secondhand, it’s taken an age to find more Kay out in the wild! Very glad to have this and another of her collections (Reality, Reality) in my hands now, as this collection delivered gem after gem for me.

My favourite type of short story collections are those that can make a 20 page story feel like a fully fleshed novel. I felt in sure hands with Jackie Kay, each story was perfectly formed and I felt immense satisfaction at the end of most. Kay explores similar themes without the stories feeling stale or repetitive - relationships reaching a stalemate or crossroads, letting go, finding your feet after the end of a long relationship. It sounds like there should be a lot of melancholy in these pages, and there is some, but there’s also a degree of lightness to them through well placed humour.

I want to mention so many of the stories, they all had something to offer! You Go When You Can No Longer Stay covers menopause, the lesbian ‘urge to merge’ and stability turned to stagnation. Blinds, which focuses on a woman setting up her own house after splitting from her wife, experiencing a brief moment of connection with the man who comes to measure her blinds. I really liked the way this one shows the mundane side of heartbreak - sorting through the detritus of a life cleaved in two. Pruning, a tale about jealousy and passion - funny yet sad and all too real. And omg the last story, The Mirrored Twins, near broke my heart and moved me to tears!

I highly recommend this collection if you like your short stories on the longer side, especially as it highlights slightly older queer narratives 🏳️‍🌈