reviews and awards

‘Superstition, faith, blood ties and sisterhood interact beautifully in Ill Winds. Caroline Juskus’ story, set in the wake of Storm Ophelia, conveys the easy doorstep repartee of agnostic Alice and her religious neighbour Fatima, but soon opens up to show the pain neither women can voice. Fatima is crushed by loneliness and Alice’s estranged father is dying – but their physical proximity provides mutual solace. In common with all the pieces on my shortlist, this story’s power lies in its ability to draw the reader into an intense relationship with a character, no matter how fleetingly.’

Liz Jensen