The Fun Kind: Feminist Fictions, by Elizabeth Carola (Siren Press, 2012)

This collection of short stories by radical feminist Elizabeth Carola is an easy and enjoyable read.

Although fiction, the characters and scenarios described are recognisable and will feel familiar to anyone involved in feminist activism.

I particularly enjoyed the first story Funfems which is a comment on the significance of political difference and its impact on relationships, and the last story, Not as we know, which is an intimate exploration of dealing with serious ill-health and resulting dependency on on-line relationships and e-lists.

All the stories in this book feel very current, referencing protest, activism, trade unionism, power dynamics, class, relationships and of course feminism, and are told in a moving, witty and insightful way.

Reviewed by Una Byrne