Fragment of Time

'Avril Smith brings a lifetime of keen observation to the stories in A Fragment of Time, her second collection. The protagonists are often flawed beings, struggling to make sense of the predicaments in which they find themselves; Cedric Percival, who prefers green jelly and Belgian beer to oysters and football, can barely cope with his own life, but always finds a way to help others, and finds love in the process. Tales of the indignities and constraints of old age are counterbalanced with discoveries of the joys modern technology can offer - as long as you have a Mr Percival to sort out computer problems. Now in her tenth decade, the writer has had plenty of experience in accepting and quietly supporting those who don't quite fit in. Her warmth for life's misfits shines through in her writing - as does her sharp wit, humour and appreciation of the quirky and inexplicable.' - Anna Buck