Reviews
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Cages and Other Stories is full of welcome surprises and deft changes of tone. Strong on mood, dialogue and atmosphere, Hurley tells powerful stories that linger in the mind, that make you think and feel and fill you with wonder and dread. An excellent collection: powerfully imagined and vividly rendered. Time Out, August 2006
Andrew Michael Hurley offers an intriguing cast of characters in familiar scenarios… What is inescapable throughout the book is the sense of a good writer experimenting. Hurley's success lies in the developing of good ideas - Of Acid and Water and Tell Me Again About the Thunder stand out for their acuity and weight. Transmission magazine 2006
There's a quiet melancholy in the tone of Guns and How They Work. The contrast between the son's silence and the detailed description given by the father of the guns, their history and mechanisms, is eerie, revealing of this touching relationship. As with the most effective short stories, these lives continue beyond the confines of this cluttered garage. Sarah Hymas, Flax Books 2006
If ever you feel that the short story is running out of steam, think again. Andrew Michael Hurley writes stories about ordinary people, who may happen to be lost and are trying to find their way. Sympathy, Enlightenment, Negotiation - placenames on their roadmaps. He writes superbly about connection and disconnection. Sometimes, as in the title story of this excellent collection, there's a welcome hint of the strange, like in the stories of Brian Howell or Christopher Kenworthy, and then the disconnection is not only between people, but also between people and the world. Highly recommended.' Nicholas Royle on The Unusual Death of Julie Christie, 2008
The Unusual Death of Julie Christie and Other Stories is a muted, tender and skilfully rendered collection - proof that a selection of good, sad stories can be the tonic that we all need once in a while. Graham Foster, Transmission magazine, November 2008
I love this sort of writing. Hurley interweaves snippets of conversation with cultural references, the everyday, strands of memory that link past and present - in stories that cross timezones, geographical and social boundaries, and one that strays into a surreal parallel universe. Diane Becker on The Unusual Death of Julie Christie, 2010 |