Chalk Tracks
Stories from the Downlands – brooding tales of haunted lives and fragile hopes.
Lillian helps people to die. Ruth encounters an unsettling stranger on the towpath. Kathy obsesses over a painting. Robyn puts her trust in a fox. Mags is a forager; he takes the things he wants.
Rooted in the landscape of the South Downs, where the chalk hills roll out to the sea, this incisive debut collection of short stories by Gina Challen explores the places where the familiar can become threatening.
*
“Chalk Tracks mesmerised and amazed me in equal measure. How does the author cram such a richly-textured narrative into such a small space? How does she manage to say so much with so few words?” Katy Darby
Stories from the Downlands – brooding tales of haunted lives and fragile hopes.
Lillian helps people to die. Ruth encounters an unsettling stranger on the towpath. Kathy obsesses over a painting. Robyn puts her trust in a fox. Mags is a forager; he takes the things he wants.
Rooted in the landscape of the South Downs, where the chalk hills roll out to the sea, this incisive debut collection of short stories by Gina Challen explores the places where the familiar can become threatening.
*
“Chalk Tracks mesmerised and amazed me in equal measure. How does the author cram such a richly-textured narrative into such a small space? How does she manage to say so much with so few words?” Katy Darby
Stories from the Downlands – brooding tales of haunted lives and fragile hopes.
Lillian helps people to die. Ruth encounters an unsettling stranger on the towpath. Kathy obsesses over a painting. Robyn puts her trust in a fox. Mags is a forager; he takes the things he wants.
Rooted in the landscape of the South Downs, where the chalk hills roll out to the sea, this incisive debut collection of short stories by Gina Challen explores the places where the familiar can become threatening.
*
“Chalk Tracks mesmerised and amazed me in equal measure. How does the author cram such a richly-textured narrative into such a small space? How does she manage to say so much with so few words?” Katy Darby
About the Author
Originally a Londoner, the Downlands stole Gina Challen’s heart when she moved to West Sussex in 1979. Her passionate interest in rural life and the chalklands continues to inspire her writing.
She completed a Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Chichester in 2014. Her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. Two were shortlisted for the Bridport Prize in 2014 and another was longlisted for the RSL’s VS Pritchett Prize in 2018. Her debut collection of short fiction, Chalk Tracks, was published by Valley Press in 2019.
Vital Statistics
Imprint: Valley Press
Edition: First (July 2019)
Paperback ISBN: 9781912436224
Catalogue number: VP0142
Page count: 134
Trim size: 203x133mm
