AND SO I TOOK THEIR EYE
When a body is found on the black-sand beaches of Guatemala, it sparks a chain of events that ripple across the globe.
From an Italian tailor crushed under the weight of his father’s legacy to a mother challenging local snobbery on the cricket fields of England, a vengeful Bolivian priest chasing Che Guevara’s ghost, to a Bay Area therapist blind to his own advice, the lives of a seemingly unconnected group of strangers become fatefully entangled in murder, arson, betrayal, and love.
Guided by the ancient creed of "an eye for an eye," And So I Took Their Eye is a gripping collection of interlinked stories exploring what happens when justice is taken into your own hands—and ultimately, what it means to be human. It examines abuses of power in a world fractured by inequalities. As these characters confront these brutal truths, morality blurs, forcing them to question the meaning of belonging and the lengths they’ll go to carve out their place in an unforgiving world.
A thoughtful collection that situates engaging characters in an array of distinctive settings.
— Kirkus Review
Impossible to put down.... Prepare to be amazed.
— Midwest Book Review (D Donovan's Book of the Month)
A masterpiece of short fiction...And So I Took Their Eye is a fantastic short story collection.
– Reader Views (5-Star Review)
Few short story collections have the richness and complexity of a novel. Ben Davies’ does.
– Edward Stanton, Award-winning author of Wide as the Wind, Frail Blood, & VIDAS: Deep in Mexico and Spain
The stories are tough, honest, and threaded with grace.
—Matthew Clark Davison, Author of Doubting Thomas and The Lab: Experiments in Writing Across Genre.
Ben C. Davies is a Californian-based author whose debut short story collection, And So I Took Their Eye, was published by Bridge House Publishing in July, 2025. Originally from the UK, his short fiction has appeared in journals such as The Fiery Scribe Review, Left Brain Media, and Downtime Review, while his articles have been featured in Electric Literature, The International Times, Work, Huck, and Lost.
He serves as an editor for the Ginosko Literary Journal, is a member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto, and is currently finishing his debut novel. In addition to his writing, Davies teaches at California College of the Arts, is the co-founder and director of Studio Luce, a Guatemalan writing retreat and artist residency, and helps authors with marketing and publicity through Studio Luce Books.
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