I am not usually a big fan of short stories - it takes an amazing writer to create a complete picture in a small space. Fortunately, David K Shipler is such a writer. Admittedly, I knew him only from his non-fiction writing but he showed a level of compassion that I thought (hoped) would translate to fiction and it definitely did. In The Man in the Next Bed, he tells the story of Gibson, an engineer, in hospital with cancer. Despite his condition, Gibson maintains a great sense of humour as well as curiousity about the people around him. When a young man is put in the next bed with unexplained bleeding, Gibson is determined to communicate with him even though a curtain blocks his view. Although they never get a glimpse of each other, they develop a brief but deep connection as he listens to the man's struggles and his pain.

This story is only 20 pages long and, on the surface, it seems a fairly simple tale of the human condition. Yet, despite the brevity, the story is full of humour, empathy, and insight The characters are fully formed and sympathetic making it easy for the reader to care about the outcome. It made me think long after I had finished and what more can you ask from a 'simple' short story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knoph Doubleday Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )