‘A Bed on Bricks’: A masterclass in compelling writing

Written in vivid, compelling prose, MA Kelly’s short stories in ‘A Bed on Bricks’ take the reader on a sweeping sojourn across Africa - from Namibia, Botswana and the territory formerly known as Rhodesia to South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania.

Similarly, the author, who was born in the United Kingdom but has called Namibia home for almost 25 years, has crisscrossed the continent during a rich, interesting existence which has delivered stories full to the brim with life.

Teeming, crawling, alive – ‘A Bed on Bricks’ is a living, breathing thing, and I find the stories lingering at the periphery of my consciousness even days later.

Despite her in undeniable skill in transporting her readers to a familiar - yet entirely new – world, Kelly has no practical training in writing.

“What I do have is a lifelong compulsion to read good and challenging books – including lots of non-fiction – and over decades, this has constituted a masterclass in what does (and doesn’t) work in terms of structuring compelling writing”.

In an interview with tjil, the author highlighted that while the nine stories in the collection centre Africa and her people, she hopes her work will transcend the continent.

“The characters I create and the situations they confront are not necessarily specific to the region. In describing the experiences particular to individuals, I hope to uncover some universal truths.”

‘A bomb going off in your heart’

Kelly’s writing has a rare subtlety – the stories don’t so much have climaxes; rather they transport the reader right into the thick of the characters’ lives.

Here, she flexes her background in film theory when she makes reference to Wong Kar-Wai’s film ‘In the Mood for Love’ (2000) to draw parallels to her own work: “It would be true to say that ‘nothing much happens’, but it has a devastating emotional impact nonetheless. Like a bomb going off in your heart. I hope my writing can deliver that kind of pay-off”.

‘A Bed on Bricks’ has no lack of emotional impact. While I found something wonderful in most of the pieces, it is the title story – the third in the collection – that lingers the longest.

The collection spans about six years of her life, but Kelly only started writing seven years ago.

“I started writing fiction in earnest around 2016. Before that, I was a single parent raising a family and working as an editor to put food on the table.

“But I’d been collecting the ideas – the raw material for the stories – over several decades of a very interesting life. I just needed the headspace to sit down and begin assembling everything.”

Enriching, rewarding, thought-provoking

They say every good writer must first be a great reader, and interestingly, Kelly is drawn more to non-fiction.

But, she listed ‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Tartt, ‘Americanah’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and ‘The People in the Trees’ by Hanya Yanagihara as some of her fiction faves.

Meanwhile, the non-fiction titles ‘The Gospel of the Eels’ by Patrik Svensson and ‘The Right to Sex’ by Amia Srinivasan have a special place in her heart.

“Each [is] an enriching, rewarding and thought-provoking read.”

Asking a writer what their favourite story is can be like asking a mother who their favourite child is, but to answer this controversial question, the author pointed to ‘Progress’, the fourth in ‘A Bed on Bricks’, and the first story she ever wrote.

“It came into my head almost fully formed. I subsequently adjusted one section slightly, but I suppose I still think of this piece with affection because once it was accepted for publication by The Kalahari Review, I then had confirmation that I could write tales that people would want to read.”

‘The Limbo Circus’

While ‘A Bed on Bricks’ was released last year and will be launched soon, Kelly is already hard at work on her next project.

“I just finished revising a second collection of short stories called ‘The Limbo Circus’, and I hope Modjaji Books will publish that in time.

“A prize-winning short story I wrote a while back will also shortly appear in an anthology called ‘In Times of Pandemic’, to be published by Kuiseb Publishing,” she added.

‘A Bed on Bricks’ is available from Windhoek Book Den for N$260.