HOW MUCH THE HEART CAN HOLD: SEVEN STORIES ON LOVE - REVIEW
How Much the Heart Can Hold explores the multitudinous concept of
love and its many forms, including Eros,
(sexual love) and Agape,
(unconditional love)*, as well as five other stories exploring the complexity
of one of our strongest emotions. The authors involved in this collection are: Carys
Bray, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, Bernardine Evaristo, Grace McCleen, Donal Ryan,
Nikesh Shukla and D. W. Wilson, award-winning writers who have each written
unique and enthralling depictions of love. Each story is exceptional, and play
within each individual writers’ style and common themes within their larger
works making the collection diverse and engaging, with every writer bringing a
fresh perspective to the idea of ‘love’.
'No one has measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.' - Zelda
Fitzgerald
Nikesh Shukla’s short story, White Wine, explores Philautia, (or self-love, learning more towards
respect for oneself and achievements as opposed to narcissism), and follows the
story of a brother concerned over the racist attitudes and behaviour towards
his sister from her boss, and her prevailing desire to bond with said jerk. The
narrative of this story echoes only too realistically the still burgeoning racism
and discrimination in Modern Britain towards ethnic minorities, in this case, South-Asian,
with Rupa’s boss nick-naming her team as “his favourite terror cell”, with Rupa
as “their fearless leader, Bin Laden”. Yes, really. White Wine explores the question of whether racism has actually decreased,
with Rupa questioning her brother on whether people can still be racist as “it
feels so old-fashioned”, while also exploring the idea of Philautia and loving oneself in light of such attitudes. White Wine is, inarguably, my favourite
in this collection and has spurred me on to read more of Shukla’s work. His
ability to combine the idea of Philautia with
modern social issues that are increasingly
While all the stories in this
collection are excellent, some stand out to me more than others, such as
Buchanan’s Before It Disappears; a
story based on La Douleur Exquisite,
(unrequited love) in which a husband struggles with his wife’s eating disorder,
as spurred on by his liaison with another woman, with an appearance by a
unicorn. This story is sumptuous in its description and Buchanan is a
marvellously detailed writer, evoking brilliant and vivid images in the mind’s
eye with his unique expression. Also a favourite story of mine is Codas by Carys Bray, a story exploring Storge, (familial
love) with a sweet tale of daughter’s concern for her football obsessed father
when he is hospitalised, and her motherly love for her son, a keen footballer
and ballet dancer.
How Much the Heart Can Hold contests the idea of love as being purely
‘romantic’ and delves deeper into what love is, and can do to the human psyche.
Emma Herdman, the editor of this collection, has managed to bring together a
group of exceptionally talented writers who succeed in challenging the binary
conceptions of what love is with immense style, crafting seven stories that are
equally captivating, moving, and intriguing. As a fairly new reader to short stories,
I was immensely pleased with my reading experience of How Much the Heart Can Hold, and it has opened my eyes to the
boundless potential of a medium I initially thought would be quite limited in
subject and impact. I strongly recommend this collection to anyone dipping
their toe into the short story genre, and already avid fans of the genre. This
collection is fascinating, pushing me to question the potentials of ‘love’, as
well as introducing me to multiple writers whose further works I wish to
explore in the future.
Disclaimer: How Much the Heart Can Hold was sent to me from Spectre to review for free, via
Bookbridgr. This has not affected my review and my opinion towards the books I
receive gratis are honest and impartial.
Have you read How Much the Heart Can Hold? If so, I’d love to hear from you! Please don't hesitate to comment or get in touch with one of my social networks below!
* To any fellow Anime fans: These stories are not like Yuri on Ice. Sorry for bursting your katsudon bubbles.