ANNA by Angus Gaunt

If the novella as form is having a bit of a moment, it’s in no small part thanks to indie presses. Props to Finlay Lloyd, then, not only for championing short fiction but dedicating a prize to it. Now in its third year, the twenty/forty prize has already unearthed some pretty great books. This year’s winner, Anna by Angus Gaunt, is the best yet.

From the very beginning, there’s something unnerving about Gaunt’s story. A girl runs through a forest, a soldier not far behind. Except he’s no longer a soldier. And the war is over. At some point he stood guard over her. Now he’s been abandoned by his comrades. There’s no real indication of when this is. Or where. Perhaps a nod - his name sounds Slavic. But even so. The friction between them is, thankfully, in no way romantic. It’s almost familial, reminiscent of The Road or The Last of Us. In that sense, it’s a masterclass of sustained dread and uncertainty.

In never properly locating the story, Anna becomes a universal tale of displacement and finding oneself beyond one’s circumsatnce. It’s dark, with only the odd flicker of light to give hope. And damn it’s good.

Anna by Angus Gaunt
Finlay Lloyd, 2025
95 pages