Bereft of Reason

Diane Simmons is an accomplished writer with an excellent eye for period detail and an acute ear for dialect, both on display in her latest, dazzling work, Bereft of Reason. Set at the tail end of the nineteenth century, the story concerns a horrific crime and explores the rippling consequences experienced by both family and the wider community. Simmons steps seamlessly between characters, never allowing the reader to settle in judgement. In so doing, she enlarges our capacity for empathy, even when faced with an abhorrent act. This is a well paced, page turner peopled with distinct characters I won’t soon forget. Alison Woodhouse

Bereft of Reason uses a fascinating ensemble cast structure to tell a compelling story about a crime in the 1890s. The multiple points of view allow Diane Simmons to work through a variety of male and female perspectives upon the central event, in a way that draws out implications and rewarding resonances for our contemporary world. Simmons fuses plot, action and dialogue so skilfully for character-led dramatic realism, as fans of her four previous novellas-in-flash will know. But in effortlessly wielding an ensemble cast structure to deliver a study of how society deals with crime, it feels like Simmons is expanding her writing – and the genre of historical flash fiction – in brand new ways. It’s wonderful to see. Michael Loveday