Flash Fiction is a wonderful way to share stories. It’s very focused on the character, as each little snippet has to be complete, and therefore, the main character has to be right at the front of the story. Flash Fiction is a great genre or type of writing, as it can be a hundred words, or even less, making the writer be careful with words in a way no other genre does. Seeing the Other Side is a great collection of Flash Fiction stories, the third in the series.

Allison Symes, the author, has done a brilliant job with this third book. Although each of her books are slightly different, this new collection is varied and attractive. Seeing the Other Side has a strong focus on fantasy, ghosts, magic and the topper for me, dogs! My favourite has to be the one where the dog alerted the owner, who turned out to have cancer. It’s something I have heard of a few times, but Allison’s way of putting it in a flash fiction story is very poignant, as it’s short and to the point, making the story more powerful.

Seeing the Other Side has a lot of different stories. Some are nearly two pages long, some only a few lines. Seeing the Other Side has a few stories around a theme, which I enjoyed, as it was from different perspectives, making it very funny in some cases. Many of the stories have unexpected twists and endings, something Allison is great at, and it’s why I do like this collection. I had to show my daughter some, as they’re so short but funny, and therefore easy to share with others.

Seeing the Other Side is another great looking book, and as the stories are so short, it makes an ideal present or coffee table book. I can imagine it in an office or waiting room, as the stories are short, and funny or poignant, and you can literally pick through the book when looking for a distraction. Reading deep or long books has been very hard for me recently, so Seeing the Other Side would be perfect in that case, as you can pick it up for just a few minutes.

Seeing the Other Side is inspiring as well. Writing stories is a great thing to do, and Flash Fiction is a perfect way in. Allison does some helpful workshops on this, but Seeing the Other Side also gives you a good flavour of flash fiction. The characters in each little story are varied and interesting. Some of them are a surprise. Seeing the Other Side shows you the other side of characters. Looking at a person from a different angle can brighten up a story or bring an unexpected twist to the event. Allison is brilliant at doing this. So to have another collection of flash fiction is a real treat. It is hard to tell which character out of the book was my favourite, although the dog stories must be the best. I liked Queen Bess as well, as she made an appearance a couple of times. I can honestly say that I enjoyed each little story, and finished the book way too quickly. Fortunately, it’s the kind of book that you can read more than once!

I received a copy via Reading Between the Lines but was under no pressure or obligation to write a favourable review.