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A stunning collection of short stories, told across decades and spanning New Zealand and Canada, each centering on one of a small group of loosely-connected women that have crossed paths, although their stories are told here individually. With incredible fineness the author slices through these literary lives, each story unwrapping a tiny and perfectly-formed world, coming to life within just a few pages, taking the reader on a deeply emotional journey that is impossible to break away from.

We are first introduced to perhaps the most touching of all the characters between these pages, — Amanda — as a young child in the 1970’s-era cover story “Smoke”. One of my very favorites (although it’s very hard to choose), in this heartbreakingly-beautiful story, Amanda (age not discussed but presumed around seven years old) faces neglect and grief as both her father, and sister, Judy, pull away emotionally after the death of their mother. Knowing at some level that her father’s crisis puts him in need of her as much as she needs him, Amanda, in her youth, is unable to connect, or understand, or express her emotions, remaining frozen in her vulnerability as her world, her entire developing identity, is blunted beyond repair.

We will meet Amanda again in several stories, along with others equally fascinating, tragic, distressing, frightening and inspiring. Damaged in ways that make them inappropriate and terrible parental figures, (as their own parents left a similar trail on them), these characters will be seen to suffer to survive, caught in damaging and often self-destructive cycles — each of them achingly real to us as they struggle to redeem themselves, pulling along the innocents they are often entangled with.

A collection not to be missed, I loved this book, these characters and these stories.

A great big thank you to @river_street_writes for an ARC of this brilliant collection. All thoughts presented are my own.

Note: this book contains many dark themes including emotional abuse, sexual assault, and suicide. This reader did skip one story, ‘It Means Beloved”, due to content concerning animal abuse.