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Review of Safely Gathered In by Sarah Schofield

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Sarah Schofield's debut short story collection is a stunning rumination on themes of family, motherhood, grief, difficult relationships, memory and the experience of being human. Safely Gathered In explores why we gather objects, why we feel attached to them and how they can sum up life. From storage containers to a doll house and an email inbox, we follow characters through contemplation of divorce, struggles with dementia, parenting and more. Schofield's style is both surreal and tenderly relatable as the stories gathered in this collection make space for moments that often pass by unnoticed. 



Some of the stories are little more than a page long, showing the writer's nuanced skill of capturing the deep emotions that can be felt in fleeting moments. Favourites within this collection include 'Termination Happy Meal', told from the perspective of a mother clinging desperately to her daughter's childhood as she supports her through an abortion. 'Under The Foil' which follows a man on the verge of leaving his partner and 'Shake Me and I Rattle', a tale of a woman caring for her grandmother are also stand-outs.


Review by Abi.

Safely Gathered In was published on 04/11/21 by Comma Press.


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