Short story review – MARIA SAVVA ‘Far Away In Time’

Far Away In Time is a short story collection by Maria Savva, published in 2014. It’s the first book I’ve read by this established, independently published author, and I was hooked right away: this is an author who knows her craft. The six stories in Far Away In Time are well-written, softly flowing tales about people in both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Each character is well-crafted and believable, and the way the stories are told you are drawn into their thoughts, their world, their experience. There is tragedy and loss, love, sadness, the tragedy of a romance that never got a chance to happen, and even a touch of magic – all of it told with Savva’s gentle narrative voice and seen through her perceptive storyteller’s lens.

Each story is anchored in the real world and inhabited by real people, but Savva often adds a twist of magical reality, whether it’s the shade of a (possible) ghost, a peek into an alternate dimension, or a bit of shape-shifting. I love how she mixes the very real with a bit of fantasy, suggesting that the world we live in isn’t always as predictable and logical as we sometimes believe.

For me, another major strength of these stories is how Maria Savva takes more or less ordinary people and makes them both interesting, believable, and touchingly human. She made me feel for the characters, and that’s always a sign of a good story.

I like all the short stories in this book, but my three favourites are “A Sign” which is both a touching love story and a ghost story, with a twist; “Far Away In Time”, a story about what happens when you meet the mysterious mr Silverfrost, and find out that time and space don’t work exactly the way you thought; and “Echoes of Her Dreams” – a story about a woman who feels trapped in a life that hasn’t gone the way she planned, and who glimpses a way out. “Echoes Of Her Dreams” in particular really touched a nerve with me, because it brings up the doubts and regrets many of us might have about the choices we have made in our lives.

In short, Far Away In Time is a great read, and I will definitely be looking for more books by Maria Savva.

Maria Savva has published several works of fiction, and her next, soon-to-be-released book is A Time To Tell, a romantic drama.

• Far Away In Time on Amazon.
• Maria Savva’s official website.
• Maria Savva on Facebook and Twitter.