Il-Pultruna li Titbandal u Stejjer Oħra
by Maria Camilleri
Horizons Publications, 2020
Writing a short story is admittedly easier than writing a full-length novel; but when an author opts for a collection of short stories, then the comparison dwindles dramatically.
A novel is built on a plot with several stable characters who evolve together, with variations, on one stage according to a fixed theme. A short story is relatively similar in structure, but its briefness makes it more urgent – and sometimes more difficult – for the author to make the most of what he or she has in mind in the construction of the story itself, particularly so if, as is very often the case, a message or a moral is intended.