'So That's the Tale' : A sequence of vignettes on caring and chronic illness

Lambert, Zoe (2020) 'So That's the Tale' : A sequence of vignettes on caring and chronic illness. Short Fiction in Theory and Practice, 10 (1). pp. 89-103. ISSN 2043-0701

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Abstract

‘Disability isn’t about being brave, it’s about being organised’ (Ian Dury, cited in Reach disability awareness leaflet, Chorley, 2013). This sequence of vignettes explores a family’s experiences of living with multiple sclerosis. The stories are fictionalized, but drawn from my own family, and are part of a wider project exploring varying roles in caring and disability and the relational identities between carers, those cared for and others around them. In my writing, I use the short story to explore the smaller moments in characters’ lives, eschewing longer narratives in order to avoid common disability tropes, such as heroism, bravery and stories, that foreground characters overcoming their disability. Instead, my vignettes aim to reveal both the challenges and difficulties when living with chronic illness, but also moments of hope and humour.