'Productivity'

As with the previous tale, this one from Rosalie Parker's new collection is mainstream fiction. In fact it has a whiff of science fiction about it, as we seem to be in a near-future where Brexit has kicked in.

A woman whose husband has left her cultivates a beautiful garden. But her neighbours put her under pressure to grow vegetables, as food rationing is in force and people are expected to 'dig for Britain', or similar. The story neatly describes the emergence of a barter economy as the nation totters on the brink of collapse. Eventually the woman has to accept reality, but she reserves a small patch of garden for flowers.

There is a twist to the story, which I won't reveal. It gives 'Productivity' a touch of the Ruth Rendells, I feel, with its sense of middle-class culture fraying and revealing something toxic beneath.

More from this running review very soon!