Granta Betrayal, launched January 2013, includes my short story ‘Flowers Appear On The Earth’.
The story is set on the fictional island of Tre, which lies off the southwest tip of England, and is about the aftermath of an explosion in the island’s chemical dye factory.
‘Five weeks after the disaster at the end of July, the islanders trooped from the church of St Helene to the eastern promontory. At the front of the cortège was the vicar and those carrying urns. These men and women tucked the urns in the crooks of their arms, or held them with both hands, solicitous and anxious, or clasped them to their chests. Behind those the rest of the islanders, who carried bouquets and spades. At the back, the small party of cameramen and journalists for whom the island’s acrid smell was new and who could be seen now and again flinching where it collected in sheltered dips. Their track followed a gentle descent along the southern edge of the island . . . ‘
(Alas, you will have to buy or borrow the Granta issue to read more.)
The issue features writing by, amongst others, Mohsin Hamid, Janine di Giovanni, John Burnside and a brilliant short story by Colin Robinson.