The Kissing Game

This collection of short stories proves once again Chambers' versatility and literary prowess. Described by him as 'stories of defiance', these are tales which have more in common with Beckett, Kafka, and Lawrence, their subjects being about young people rather than written for them alone.

However Chambers is always conscious of his audience, and each carefully crafted story seems a springboard for readers to interact with the genres, the writing style and the subjects.

Each tale defines a particular moment in life, a revelation, usually for a teenage male protagonist. In an endnote Chambers explains his use of 'flash fiction', an increasingly popular genre of self-contained pieces of under 1000 words, particularly suited to 21st Century study and reading habits.