Paper Dragons by Faith Cotter is a remarkable short story about coping with a family member’s illness. The story starts with Faith looking for drawings of dragons her brother had done when they were children. Searching through her drawers for pictures, Faith narrates the story of her younger brother who had been diagnosed with Leukaemia. From the childhood memories of drawing and then playing on the road designed mat in their bedroom, to the time the lake water at a holiday camp nearly poisoned her brother, Faith Cotter lays bare her soul for all to see.

The impact such a short piece of writing had on me is massive and will stay with me for the rest of days. We all have lost childhood memories but what Faith has done had put the importance of them into context. To live through such a traumatic time is one thing but to describe every emotion, wishes of things that could be different and the reactions of others is very brave indeed.

One conversation is detailed of a time when Faith and a girl whose brother had actually died had talked and Faith found herself apologising for hurting her feelings, and then we hear what Faith would say now, how she would react given the situation over again.

This is one of the most thought provoking bits of prose I’ve read in a long while and I applaud Faith for putting these memories on paper.

***** 5 STARS!!!

Steve