Haddon is most famous for his justifiably excellent Curious Incident of the Dog. This work comprises his first collection of short stories. Many had been published elsewhere previously, but are brought together here. Reading them, there is no doubt about Haddon's talent or his ability to write across a range of styles (the stories are set variously in the past, present and near future). However, what seems most apparent is just how dark is Haddon's writing. He does not flinch away from either death or dysfunction, writing almost with a certain medical detachment. Medical terminology features in several of the stories and parallels with Ballard perhaps spring to mind. I found Haddon (even) better on dysfunction, and his jaundiced (yet humorous) observations about Britain in decline reminded me somewhat of Jonathan Coe. Haddon combines intricacy of detail and the mundane with a slightly surreal overlay — all is not what it may seem at first glance. The opening eponymous story was among the best. I also liked "Wodwo" (his modern retelling of Sir Gawain — who becomes Gavin) and "The Woodpecker and the Wolf", which shared some eerie similarities with Michel Faber's The Book of Strange New Things. Happy to read more. Haddon, 8/10.
By Mark Haddon