Self-Help
(4 customer reviews)
Publication Date: 28 Jul 2019
Stories don’t emerge out of thin air. They’re inspired from what we see, what we hear and most importantly, what we experience. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes moving, often plain weird. All a writer has to do is – listen.
In this intriguing and occasionally surreal volume of novellas and shorter fiction, BAFTA-nominated screenwriter and acclaimed novelist Paul A. Mendelson explores with humour and pathos how our worlds make us so vulnerably human.
A volunteer on a helpline hears a voice at the other end that changes her world forever...
A failing scriptwriter tries to sell his mad movie to a famous director by pretending it’s the story of his life...
A proud Scotsman wakes up after a mild stroke to discover he has turned English...
A middle-aged man whose young father died before he was born meets his long lost parent in a dusty attic...
A husband leaves his wife forever – until he realises he has left his precious watch behind...
Geoffrey Sax (Film and TV director) - 11 Apr, 2021
Makes the art of reading these stories enormous fun… Paul’s humanity leaps from the pages. His comedy roots are apparent too.
Karol Griffiths (script writer) - 11 Apr, 2021
Mendelson has done it again! The Art of Listening is laugh out loud funny, entertaining and surprisingly moving.
Leigh Russell - 11 Apr, 2021
Paul A. Mendelson’s humorous and touching stories are a joy to read. He actually made me laugh out loud!
David Lister (The Independent) - 11 Apr, 2021
Compelling! Stories that move seamlessly from warm humour to unexpected and often disconcerting denouements.