Strangely Enough
Neglected by society, a group of caravanning 60-somethings encounter a place where time stops. A baby swims in a witch’s cauldron. A statue of Jesus grows fat off fish and chips. An ancient Egyptian God swims through the sewers under a suburban street and a desperate family harvests the fingers they find growing in their soil after their final food supplies wither.
Strangely Enough is a celebration of the far-reaching possibilities of short fiction from some of Australia’s most creatively ambitious minds. Surreal and haunting, funny and gripping, these intensely strange tales encompass what it means to grieve, love, wonder, fear and change, each ultimately offering something entirely unexpected and strangely, deeply human.
‘Strangely Enough is an unsettling yet moreish anthology. Many of these stories skilfully recognise that strangeness lives close to home, in the mundane – in a row of slippers, in mushrooms, in broth, in our own fallible bodies that can be cut down by a whiff of pollen or a miniature man with a surfboard; some stories suggest that peace can be found in the most unlikely places, and that strange happenings present opportunities to find our authentic selves; while other stories are quick, potent darts shot out from the shadowy nooks of the authors' imaginations. I look forward to the next time I encounter the work of these talented writers — I look forward to the bewilderment, terror, and delight.’ — Elizabeth Tan, author of Rubik and Smart Ovens for Lonely People
‘Strangely Enough is a treasure box of the gloriously weird. A Christ statue grows fat on fast food, a band of miniature surfers seeks the perfect wave, a woman welcomes a cat into her home to bizarre consequences. This wonderful anthology, curated by the team behind the Australian Short Story Festival, is a must read for anyone who delights in the strange, the dark and the twisted.’ — Wayne Marshall, author of Shirl
Contributors Include:
Leo Alder
Shaeden Berry
Liz Betts
Mikaela Castledine
Az Cosgrove
Dorothy-Jane Daniels
Jake Dean
Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario
Xandra Fowler
Deborah Frenkel
Victoria Griffin
Rowan Heath
Keren Heenan
Matthew Hooton
Katy Knighton
Marian Matta
Sam Mayne
Helena Pantsis
Raeden Richardson
Amber K Tilley
R T Wenzel
Publication made possible by the Australian Government through the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand Fund.
Gillian Hagenus is a writer, editor and book devourer living and working on Kaurna land in South Australia. Her short fiction has appeared in various journals across Australia, including Voiceworks, SWAMP, Social Alternatives and Aniko Press, and internationally in The Antigonish Review. She has a Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide, where her thesis focused on Australian Suburban Gothic fiction. In 2022, her unpublished short story collection was the winner of the AAWP/UWA Publishing Chapter One Prize. In her free time, Gillian helps run literature festivals and looks after a menagerie of other people’s pets.
