Magical Journeys: Promise
By Claire Steele
I promise: Those two words form one of the most solemn phrases in the English language. They are the basis on which our most valued contracts are made. Promises broken, fulfilled or exceeded form an essential part of the web of our social relations.
Promise is a collection of twelve stories arising out of the Magical Journeys writing workshops. The contracts we make with each other are central to how we define who we are and what matters to us. The vows we make and break identify us in profound and undeniable ways. To promise means to give your sacred word: each of these twelve stories uniquely honours or deconstructs the pacts upon which we base our lives. These are stories of betrayal and love, of ambition and grief. They are also stories that explore the other meaning of the word – which has to do with possibility and hope.
The theme of promise has also prompted the writers to consider time. We make our promises in a moment that extends ‘forever’. ‘I will love you forever’ – these are words which we profess in all sincerity, hoping and believing that they will remain true. ‘I will get it to you by next week’ – the words endorse us as reliable, trustworthy, truthful. They are promises to our partners and also to ourselves, in the hope that they will act as a charm against emotional distress. Promises are integral to our sense of self-worth. We like to think we are as good as our word, and our word is a powerful currency. We cross our hearts, promises are made in faith, in trust and in the strong belief that we will be able to fulfil them.
“Promises are integral to our sense of self-worth”
Most of the promises we make are personal contracts, pledges made between people who know and trust one another. This collection of stories invites you into that intimate space where everything you ever wanted to know about how promises are kept and broken will be revealed. A promise acts as a guarantee of truth, and these stories are true in the way that all stories are, in that they reveal something authentic and meaningful about the human condition.
“A promise acts as a guarantee of truth, and these stories are true in the way that all stories are”
Here are stories which invite us to consider the role of promises in our own lives: promises which we make to ourselves, to our children, to our partners; at work and in private. Some of the stories in this collection tell of promises that endure even after death, both tender – Promise, Chase the Queen, and imprisoning – Last Rites. Some focus on the impact of promises rashly made which nevertheless must be fulfilled: The Interview, Letters of Constance and Patience. Some consider the lasting impact of promises made and broken Promises, Promises– a story that asks why is it so hard to keep the promises we make? Are we doomed to make promises we will always break?
Twelve different stories: promises made, promises kept. Are we as good as our word? Read this book and find out.
Promise is available to order now on Amazon, expect delivery mid-August: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Promise-Magical-Journeys/dp/1909227900/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=promise+mardibooks&qid=1565357721&s=gateway&sr=8-1
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