Seeing the Other Side by Allison Symes

2 days ago

3 min read

This third book of flash fiction stories, Seeing the Other Side, by author Allison Symes is a long-awaited treasure and I was thrilled to be invited to join the tour organised by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between the Lines.

I write novels and in which an extra word or two is not an issue. Therefore, I am always in awe of poets and flash fiction writers who choose their words so carefully and can portray ideas and stories with delightful brevity.

Allison Symes is a master (her husband would be aghast if I suggested she was a mistress!) of flash fiction. She has carefully honed her skills in the discipline as a result of which not only id this her third published collection of stories but she has won competitions and even judged them as a result of her expertise.

Seeing the Other Side is a larger collection of stories that either of her previous books, From Light to Dark and Back Again, and, Tripping the Flash Fantastic. However the increased quantity has not diluted the sparkling quality. Each of the stories is a gem with an unexpected twist in the tale.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the squabbling siblings in Restless, the bemused genie in, In for a Surprise and laughed out loud at the cooking tips in Getting the Mix Right.

The book itself is an unconventional square shape which makes it ideal to carry in a small bag when travelling by bus, train or plane and the modest price makes it an ideal stocking filler for the festive season. (It is too early to mention the C word!)

I highly recommend Seeing the Other Side by Allison Symes. The book is a sheer delight from start to finish as are her earlier collections.

The Blurb

Perspective can be wonderful but will you still feel the same if your view from the fence changes?

Allison Symes has long loved what can be done with flash fiction in terms of genre and even how it is presented. Here, you will find flash tales covering a wide range of genres. Some are written in acrostic format, some are linked flashes where a character will turn up in two or more tales revealing more about themselves as the stories go on, and many will make you laugh. Others will make you shudder. Justice is served in some of the tales too, though whether it is to the characters’ liking is another matter. Flash fiction is perfect for any mood or genre. Oh and a Canada Goose comes into the book too.

Allison Symes, author of Seeing The Other Side, Tripping The Flash Fantastic and From Light to Dark and Back Again is passionate about flash fiction and hopes her latest collection introduces more to the joy and fun of the form.

The Author

Allison Symes writes flash fiction and short stories.

She is published online and in print by Bridge House Publishing, Cafelit, Iron Press and Chapeltown Books, who published her flash fiction collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again in 2017. Her second flash fiction collection, Tripping The Flash Fantastic, was published by Chapeltown Books in 2020.

Her third flash fiction collection, Seeing The Other Side, came out in July 2026 and is her largest volume to date, containing flashes across the word count spectrum, linked flashes, acrostic flashes and more.

Allison was one of the winners of the 2020 Waterloo Arts Festival Writing Competition with her story, Books and the Barbarians. She was one of the winners for this competition three years in a row. Please see Transforming Communities, To Be...To Become and Transforming Being as these are the compilations of the winning entries. There is a paperback of these three ebooks available too.

Allison also blogs for Chandler's Ford Today, an online community magazine, and usually on topics of interest to other writers. She often interviews other writers. She also writes for online writing magazine, Writers' Narrative, on a wide variety of writing topics. There is a monthly theme.

Allison is also a freelance editor and run workshops on that and on flash fiction. She judges competitions too.