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Is it just me or do decent short story anthologies always seem to be in short supply? At least they have in every school I have ever worked in. At my current school, the one we presently use is well-thumbed, dog eared and nearly beyond repair. The fact that it is now out-of-print means that it is impossible to replace, although to be fair we probably need a break from the stories anyway. Since every English teacher uses short stories we always seem to be on the look-out for something fresh. We want something that not only our students will relate to, but something with that unique Australian flavour. I was therefore pretty chuffed to find Brian Falkner’s new book appear in my mailbox.
My first impression of the package was positive. With a monochromatic cover, littered with graffiti scrawl and pops of vibrant yellow, this is an edgy book that will appeal to the current YA market. I must confess though, that the front-page quote by James Roy, did lead me to suspect (or hope?) that this collection might move into the realm of speculative or perhaps gothic fiction. It doesn’t generally do this. Instead, the darkness that Roy refers to is that which evolves from a very contemporary context. After all, some of the best contemporary YA is dark, a little menacing, with a good dose of gritty.
Overall, I found the stories in the collection highly readable. The reality that many stories are hinged on the fears of many young people (fear of death, growing old, disease) will be sure to provoke engagement and discussion in the classroom environment. I especially appreciated the endnotes relating to the origin of each of the stories. Students, particularly our aspiring writers, always seem to enjoy hearing about what inspires great writers. In this light Falkner’s message was clear, when writing stories (as our students almost always do after reading an anthology such as this one) it is best to draw inspiration from one’s own experience.
That Stubborn Seed of Hope is a captivating collection of beautifully crafted stories that will entertain and inspire Young Adults aged 14+.

Occasionally a new book will cross our paths that is capable of shattering any illusions we may have about life, capable of inducing some wonderful and scary self-reflection. That Stubborn Seed of Hope is one of these rare gems. One of the most harrowing aspects of life, and most avoided, is the element of fear and our interaction with it. Across 10 vastly different scenarios, the collection of short stories in That Stubborn Seed of Hope explore fear, loneliness and death, among other complex emotions, inducing an existential curiosity within the reader.

From the teenage boy who is torn between doing what is right, and doing what’s right by his friends, to the girl who encounters an almost post-apocalyptic world where society is nothing like our own, each tale confronts fear on both a large and small scale. At a point in every story you will be forced to think on subjects that are better left ignored. Your own mortality, the meaning of life, and social expectations are all topics we’d rather not dwell on, but this book allows you no such luxury. However, the most wonderful aspect of this book is that it progressively provides you with the tools to be able to overcome the tightness in your chest. The title is startlingly accurate; Falkner plants stubborn seeds of hope within the minds of his readers which is a gift both within the context of his stories, and in life.

For what seems to be a controversial theme for a young adult text, That Stubborn Seed of Hope proves itself to be the opposite. It is a weirdly wonderful, unique and inspired text that tackles very complex and real issues that trigger important self-reflection and inspire hope.

Fear comes in many varieties and Brian Falkner pins down each nuance with skill in ten intense short stories.

Each unique story is written so that we are observing and feeling empathy for every character’s torment. In Strawberry Lou we read about several fears, fear of dying, fear of losing a loved one and also fear of rejection. In Sins and Griefs we watch as Richard decides that the fear of embarrassment outweighs the fear of dying. But the last short story, Stop Reading, You Die, is one where the reader participates, in fear for his own life. As you read you keep asking yourself, Can this be true? Will I die if I stop reading? I am confident that most readers will admit to a small amount of trepidation as the story concludes, fearing death is imminent yet hanging on to a small hope that the author is just having fun. In Brain Falkner’s own words:

‘we can endure almost anything in our lives as long as there remains that stubborn seed of hope’.

These stories should be picked up by teachers of creative writing as examples of how to package a story so that they resonate and linger in the reader’s mind. Each distinctive work is well crafted, with vivid settings, excellent character development, subtle emotional build up and unexpected twists in the plot. Students 14yrs+ will enjoy Brian Falkner’s writing style, the achievable length of each read and will relate to the themes in each story.

Brian Falkner is an author with multiple awards for both junior and youth fiction. His books are included in the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge and he delivers presentations including Storysports and Write like an author workshops developed for use in schools to make writing fun. He currently lives in Queensland, Australia

At the back of this collection of sad, funny, quirky and poignant short stories, Brian Falkner gives the reader an insight into how each story evolved and why he decided to write one in the first person and another in the third or why one ending was chosen over another. If you are a writer it may be helpful seeing how plots evolved and as a reader it provides an interesting backstory but the strength of these stories speak for themselves. Masterfully written with humour and pathos, Falkner encourages his young adult audience to confront their fears. The thorny areas of love, aging and death are explored in stories like the 17 year old boy who finds himself trapped in the body of a very old man, or a world where a deadly virus that threatens humanity means a teenage girl has to think carefully about her first kiss. He asks the reader to contemplate their feelings when dealing with the death of a loved one or to explore the evolving emotions of the protagonists in a story where the lost magic of childhood is relived in the course of a phone conversation with a stranger. No one escapes the touch of misfortune in this collection but this is what makes the stories so powerful. As in life, what drives the narrative in each story and spurs the reader to eagerly turn the next page is a sense of hope, no matter how slim.

These are stories that will inspire, confront and demand reflection. Highly recommended for readers aged 15+.

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Brian Falkner’s That Stubborn Seed of Hope (University of Queensland Press, 2017) is one of the five full-length books offered by sponsors of the 2017 Reading Matters Conference. I picked it first because I have read Falkner’s Brainjack (2008), a finalist for the 2010 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards that later won the Children’s Choice Award (Young Adult). It also won the 2010 Sir Julius Vogel Award, Best Young Adult Novel.

That Stubborn Seed of Hope is Falkner’s first collection of short stories. The ten tales are full of twists and turns, keeping readers in suspense until they reach the surprising ending. A couple of stories can be annoying, making readers lamenting/sulking “Why didn’t I ever think of that?” or right out screaming “What is it? What is this thing that is hidden from me?” Either way, reading this book is an exercise of the mind. It is at once inspiring, informing and entertaining.

But these stories can be emotionally challenging as well. They encourage young readers to consider the world they are experiencing today and the moral and behavioural “norms” that regulate our society. How should we handle the loss of dignity caused by diseases and disabilities? What personal rights can and should be sacrificed in order to safeguard the greater good? At different stages of our lives, how can we prepare ourselves for rejection and grief? Facing death, how do we define cruelty and kindness and achieve a balance between them? Perhaps this suggestion by Falkner can provide some guidance:

I had intended to make this a collection of stories about fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of dying, fear of disease, death, embarrassment, even fear of God. I found as I was writing, however, that a much stronger theme emerged: that of hope.

Yes, there are stories of fear, heartbreak and tragedy, but they are also stories of endurance, of coping and overcoming. I really believe the secret to that is hope. We can endure almost anything in our lives as long as there remains that stubborn seed of hope. (p.2)

To help readers better understand the process of journeying from fear to hope, Falkner has included in That Stubborn Seed of Hope “a little information about each story, what I think it’s about, or a little about the writing of it. If that doesn’t interest you, ignore it. If you write stories yourself, you may find this useful”. This valuable section invites readers and aspiring writers to consider their own potential treatment of these stories, as an emotional and intellectual response to the issues that Falkner raised both deliberately and unintentionally. For the sake of cultivating future generations of writers, it would be wonderful if more established authors could attempt to do so in their books.

You can find more information about Brian Falkner’s That Stubborn Seed of Hope here.

University of Queensland Press, 2017. ISBN 9780702259289
(Age 13+) Highly recommended. Short stories. This is a fabulous collection of stories that will appeal to a wide range of people. Falkner's tales will scare the readers, make them think, feel good and wonder what is going to happen next.
The first in the collection is 'I am sseventeen' and is very frightening to ponder. Falkner has captured the horror of old age as a seventeen year old boy wakes up to find himself in the body of a very old man. He demands paper and pen and writes down his thoughts. Falkner keeps up the suspense until the twist in the conclusion.
Another that really gripped me was 'Lockdown', where a school bully is convinced that another student is coming for him in revenge for his cruelty. This is a very tense portrayal of what it would be like to hide during a school siege.
'Smile' was heart wrenching as a young medical student tries to find a way to communicate with his brother who is in a vegetative state in hospital. In 'The kiss' a teen discovers that her boyfriend may have a life-threatening virus just after she has kissed him, something that is forbidden in her society because of the fear of contagion. The other stories are all equally as powerful and memorable.
In his introduction Falkner talks about how he was going to write about fear, but that the theme of hope emerged strongly in the stories. Other themes include belonging, resilience, perseverance and acceptance. At the back of the book he has given author's notes about each of the stories that would be a boon for teachers if they were using this in the classroom and are an interesting adjunct for the ordinary reader. Excellent teacher's notes are also available.
This would be an ideal collection for a class set or literature circle text.