Reality, Reality by Jackie Kay – review

Existential questions of contemporary life are at the heart of this hilarious, heartbreaking collection that skilfully slots large ideas into small spaces. Often recounted by unreliable narrators, the stories probe one of Kay's obsessions: the tricksy nature of our perceptions. Many are set in rain-swept Manchester – and in the furthest peripheries of flawed minds. In "Mind Away" a protagonist observes: "The brain's a sieve… I'll forget myself soon." The poignant, poetic stories are filled with people who have lost something: keys, clothes, competitions, weight, money, memories, marbles, sanity or love. In "These Are Not My Clothes", a woman in a care home declares: "I'm the only one who still has my marbles" as she descends into dementia. The title story is a witty satire on how reality TV causes a viewer to lose touch with reality: chef Stef is preparing for the semi-finals of a cooking competition - concocted by her imagination. Feeling that "something's missing" in their lives, not least their own minds, characters fill the void with food, fags, sex and reality TV. Each to be savoured, these taut tales hauntingly depict the psychological realities of loss and loneliness.