Gunk by Saba Sams

This is the first book I read by Saba Sams. I was very curious about the premise – a story about unconventional families and unconventional mothers (or shall I say, ways of ‘mothering’ which is a word that, to me, goes beyond genders). As soon as I started, I immediately loved the prose. Sams is well-known as a short story writer – having won the prestigious BBC Short Story Award in 2022 – and you can tell. Her attention to detail is superb, as well as her ability to create short, pacy scenes.

However, this was one of these books I really wanted to adore and somehow that didn’t happen. To me, it read as if it would have been an excellent short story, but as a novel, it let me feeling wanting more from both the characters and the plot. To discuss more of the nuances in this book I will be (inevitably) revealing some spoilers, so be aware.