Sometimes you come across a short story that is so well-crafted, so packed with emotion, so brilliantly layered, and so creatively imagined it haunts you. Anna Lundmark’s astonishingly short 500 word story, In Your Wake, in the 2015 Grieve anthology from the Hunter Writers’ Centre is such a story.
The ruling metaphor is a hole that appears at her character’s front door. It acts as barrier for people coming to her house. She is always falling into it. All the attempts to fill it in fail. The images are of soil, plants and earth subsiding. The hole is her grief. Deeply hidden under the surface, unspoken and never directly related to, is the haunting connection between the hole and her loved one’s grave.
The final image of a plank laid across the hole is insightfully nuanced and wrought with meaning. For any writer of short short stories In Your Wake is a must read.
For any reader searching for a brilliant story, In Your Wake is it.
The Writers' Life 
Your commentary on Anna Lundmark’s story, In Your Wake resonates strongly with me, Karen. I agree, a must read short story.
It’s amazing how much she got into 500 words, isn’t it, Diana. Definitely a must read story.
SOLD! Just ordered my copy of Grieve 2015. I’ll send my review in due course 🙂
I’ll look forward to your review, Phil. I know you will appreciate the story.
Karen, your commentary on Anna’s story “In your wake” is absolutely spot on. it is a brilliant story and well deserving the prize.
I get excited when I read a story like that. Thanks for your comment, Margaret.
I had the pleasure of hearing Jean Kent read Anna’s story at the Grieve Live Read last Saturday. It was a well crafted story that was read sensitively and with passion. A short story that earned the prize.
I can imagine Jean Kent reading it beautifully, Maree. That would have been a pleasure to hear.
Reblogged this on A Writer's Mental Notes and commented:
I had the privilege of hearing 22, 500 word short stories read out by experienced readers at the Grieve Live Read. I’m pleased to say that so many of my writing group members made it into the book, Anna Lundmark, Diana Threlfo, Dee Taylor and John Gallop. Congratulations! The book is well worth a read.