Solanum

This is a collection of eleven short stories about people, growing up, growing old, or just living their lives. In "Solanum" we meet Fred, who likes to grow vegetables: "Aubergines were Fred's favourite. Huge dark and purple, warmed by the sun with skin that is soft and firm as a lover's. The dark skin conceals delicate creamy green flesh with a very special flavour. Even aubergines require caution, because the stalks have sharp prickles, and the flesh, if over mature can be bitter and inedible unless the bitterness is drawn out by the liberal application of salt. When one of Fred's romances seemed to get started the lucky friend would be given some special potatoes. When things seemed to be getting somewhere there would be a bag of acid free tomatoes. A selection of capsicums indicated that a degree of intimacy had been reached. Fred had never got so far as giving anyone aubergines." Then there is "The Boy Who Talked to Trees": "I'm dumb" "What do you mean, you're dumb?" "One of the big boys at school said that I'm dumb because I talk to trees."..... "I think that big boy at school is the stupid one, but I would not advise that you tell him." "No, because he would probably thump me."