Winner 2020 Ellipsis Flash Fiction Collection Competition
2021 Saboteur Awards
Shortlisted – Best Short Story Collection
Someone or something is missing from their lives
Seventy Percent Water depicts with startling sensibility the way beloved persons may disappear — sometimes bit by bit. The collection is dazzling in its clever use of language, beautiful imagery, wry humour, and deep understanding of humanity and feeling.
Sophie van Llewyn, author of Bottled Goods
In thirty-one tiny stories, none more than two pages long, Jeanette Sheppard offers us the vast worlds of her imagination. She gathers everyday moments like kindling and deftly sparks them into flame, creating heat and magic. These stories move with the fluidity of dreams, rich in image and emotional resonance. A highly original debut, Seventy Percent Water is not to be missed.
Kathy Fish, author of Wild Life: Collected Works from 2003-2018
Exploring the intricacies of connection and loss, Seventy Percent Water is a psychologically astute collection that invites you to step inside multiple lives while reflecting on your own. Each image is carved with care using language that dances to form a moving, insightful journey.
Stephanie Hutton (now Stephanie Carty), author of Three Sisters of Stone
Jeanette Sheppard writes convincingly about relationships — familial, romantic, social — and what happens when these human connections rupture. Her stories are moving, her prose surprising. I love this collection.
Damhnait Monaghan, author of The Neverlands
In Seventy Percent Water, Jeanette Sheppard writes with deep sensitivity and powerful imagery. Her empathy and humour shine through, resulting in a debut collection that is highly memorable.
Diane Simmons, author of Finding a Way
Reviews
Jeanette Sheppard 