Truth is stranger than fiction

Fiction | Jeffery Archer | And Thereby Hangs a Tale

Jeffery Archer is quite possibly one of the best short story writers in the world. Even better than the hoary old classic short story writers, O Henry and Saki. And at least the most famous writing in English.

This collection contains 15 stories, 10 of them 'based on true incidents'. All the stories have the trademark Archer twist. His clever writing hides the end from us, and leaves us delighted at the sudden new direction in the very last sentence. Well, not in all the stories, but most of them.

And if you didn't believe truth is stranger than fiction, the very last story is apparently based in New Delhi, and has an actual prince. One rich enough, despite 'the family wealth had been steadily eroding over the years', to fly down to San Francisco every weekend for a year. Hah, now that's tough to believe.

One of these days, I too must write the stories of some of my classmates, which are much stranger than fiction. But, hah, probably never as good as Jeffery Archer. Don't hold your breath. :)