AustLit

The characters in this collection of stories, which comprises six shorter and two longer pieces, want things that run counter to their sense of themselves. They are drawn outside their comfort zone into situations that are sometimes amusing, sometimes undignifying, never quite what they expect. Thus, for example, a contented woman finds herself considering a bizarre sexual invitation that just days before filled her with scorn. A mediocre man is pulled into a strange dance with his stalker. A father gives his daughter a Christmas present with a disturbing history. An ugly sports parent plays a game of ridiculous chance. A young boy's music lesson offers him a discordant insight into adult behaviour. And in a primal tale about the borderline between animals and humans, death is horrifyingly not the end of the story. (Adapted from Trove)