'The Birds of Nagasaki' by Lucy McKnight Hardy

The second story in Uncertainties IV is, like the first, set in a timeless England where kids are still deprived of their phones and video games. This is quite traditional, in a way. Wasn't it M.R. James who said that a good ghost story should have a 'slight haze of distance'? The story concerns siblings who - typically enough - have a rivalry that leads to unpleasant bullying, and finally to tragedy and (perhaps) madness.

It's a beautifully written story. The title refers to the origami birds that the children's father brings back from Japan, along with presents for the narrator and her old brother. These gifts spark a final, terrible incident that seems grimly inevitable, springing naturally from the spare setup and efficient characterisation. The imagery is especially effective, evoking the beauty of snowflakes, paper birds, a silk kimono. It's always a pleasure to discover writer new to oneself who is this good. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for work by Lucy McKnight Hardy in future.

More from this running review very soon, I hope!