Peripheral Vision

A book of short stories is usually named after one of the stories, one that seems to sum up the overall feeling of the collection. This story then becomes the ‘title story’. When I realised that Paddy O’Reilly hadn’t done this, I was curious to know what ‘Peripheral Vision’ meant to her as a title. In an interview with the industry magazine Bookseller+ Publisher, she said, ‘… most of the stories in the collection contain a moment where a character glimpses another world, another life, another possibility that may not have occurred to them before.’ Many of the characters in these stories would be relieved to glimpse a different life. O’Reilly is a master of writing about those on the fringes of society.

In ‘The Salesman’, Marly is waiting, in the northern suburbs of Melbourne on a scorching day, for her boyfriend and his mate to return. She has no credit on her phone, no transport, and needs a beer desperately. When an Indian salesperson comes to her door, she is captivated by his politeness. Marly thinks she has been lucky in attracting her boyfriend, Shaun, because he has not hit her in the eleven months they’ve been together. But she is surprised by her attraction to Pran, and feels protective of him when the men return and the situation begins to look dangerous for him.

In ‘One Good Thing’, Natalie and Klara are primary school best friends, inseparable and happy. But as they age, Natalie realises Klara’s family is not as perfect as she once thought, and her trust is betrayed in a terrible way. When Natalie encounters Klara again as an adult, she witnesses firsthand Klara’s denial and coping mechanisms.

These eighteen stories are high quality – from those of striking social realism to others with elements of magic realism. They demonstrate O’Reilly’s immense abilities, and why her work should not fall into the periphery, but be kept in a very clear line of sight.

Annie Condon