'I often ask myself what makes a story work,' wrote the great
American author, Flannery O'Connor. 'I have decided that it is
probably some action, some gesture of a character... which is
both totally right and totally unexpected... one that is both in
character and beyond character.'

The five stories shortlisted for this year's BBC National
Short Story Award with Book Trust all feature people
making just such gestures, acting in ways that reach beyond
themselves: a woman takes refuge from a disastrous
relationship by caring for a morbidly obese man; parents of
a missing girl desperately resort to the services of a woman
whose talents they barely credit; a middle-class resident of a
leafy corner of Windsor finds herself caught at a crossroads
in history; a young man attempts to impress his girlfriend's
unconventional parents - to excruciating, comic effect; and
a young woman attempts to stitch together her own
approach to life in the face of love. In each case we see an
individual endeavouring to stand up, to make a difference,
to be part of something bigger.

Now in its tenth year, the BBC National Short Story Award
has witnessed a decade of revival for the form, and the stories
on this list show just what fine fettle it's in. The shortlist was
selected by crime-writer Ian Rankin, novelist Tash Aw, previous
winner Sarah Hall, BBC Books Editor Di Speirs, and former
BBC correspondent and journalist Allan Little, who chaired
the panel and introduces this collection.

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• Literature & FictionLiterary FictionBritish & Irish

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