S.E. Bourne | Self-Publishing Review

Elephant Crusher by S.E. Bourne

Telling a strongly autobiographical story through a collection of short stories and other prose, Elephant Crusher by S.E. Bourne is a brilliant piece of diaristic writing. From Sophia’s childhood spent swimming in the polluted river by her house, to her travels as a middle-aged woman, the collection is a clear, honest, and original work of autofiction with a delightfully dark sense of humor.

Sophia always felt aloof, including with her family; distant and troubled, her parents and relatives rarely made her feel cared for, both economically and emotionally. The deep traumas that scarred Sophia’s life, however, didn’t stop her – […]

Every Awful Thing by S.E. Bourne

S.E. Bourne unleashes her life through language in the standout collection of flash fiction and poetry, Every Awful Thing.

This collection is an acknowledgment of struggle, a tour de force of vulnerability, and a celebration of life’s arcing flow. There is a gritty, matter-of-fact feel to Bourne’s early pieces, but the tone matures along with the writer as she moves through her own scattered memoir. From her youthful thieving antics and teenage chambermaid duties to Mexican road trips and cigars on the Mag Mile, the first half of this collection sparks with energy and potential in every direction. The flash […]