Jay Merill

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Biographical note:  God of Pigeons is Jay’s second short story collection published by Salt. Her debut collection Astral Bodies, nominated for the Frank O’Connor Award, was a clear short story winner in the Salt ‘Just One Book’ readers’ vote as the most important book ever published by Salt. She lives in central London, is a freelance editor and co-organiser of spoken word event Ride the Word 2009-2010. She recently won an Arts Council England Award enabling her to devote more time to writing.

BIC Basic

EAN13:  9781844717729
ISBN:  9781844717729
Author:  Jay Merill
Title:  God of the Pigeons
Series:  Salt Modern Fiction
Product class:  BC
Language:  eng
Audience:  General/trade
BIC subject category:  FNB
Publisher:  Salt Publishing
Pub date:  01-Mar-10
Extent:  136pp
Height:  216 mm
Width:  140 mm
Thickness:  8 mm
Weight:  204 gms
Supplier:   Gardners Books
Supplier:   Ingram Book Group
Supplier:   Inbooks (James Bennett)
Availability:  NP
Price:  GBP 8.99
Price:  USD 14.95
Rights:  World

Short description/annotation:  Pigeons fly us into the heart of the city to a little private space cut off by darkened gullies, the wing of a pigeon protruding dramatically, seeming to be a sign. What answers will it give? We follow the rest of the characters. A street artist-escapologist handcuffed inside a sack asks us a fundamental question. Somehow we have moved full circle. What answer will we give?

Main description:  Pigeons fly us into the heart of the city to a little private space cut off by darkened gullies, the wing of a pigeon protruding dramatically, seeming to be a sign. The characters become obsessed with it. What answers will it give? Then we move on, pass through other spaces, follow the rest of the characters: the performers, tricksters and fantasists, the odd individuals and heroes and anti-heroes of legend, who conjure up other worlds for us. Our last performer, a street artist-escapologist handcuffed inside a sack ventures on his mythic journey through the dark, finally breaking free with a revelatory flourish. He asks us a fundamental question. Somehow we have moved full circle. What answer will we give?

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Previous review quote:  Jay Merill is a short story writer with an ability to spin a good tale…(she) has a tremendous sense of humour and manages to retain empathy with this lost generation.

John Rety
The Morning Star

Previous review quote:  Merill’s range of literary form and accompanying style and tone is prodigious. (She)’s a brilliantly clever writer.

Judith Amanthis
Tears in the Fence