In his debut collection of short stories, MacIlroy deftly leads the reader to the very moment when everything changes for his characters, then powers on to endings that reveal the fullness of the human condition.

Burrowing deep into the soul, these eighteen stories probe deeply into the shadows which haunt at the margins of his characters' lives. Many remind us that the truly powerful things that happen to us spring from the everyday, only to slide sideways to the deeper end of our experience, and even our imagination.

"... remarkable and full-bodied stories with end notes as satisfying as a fine wine."

     --- Elizabeth Robin, winner of the Carrie
         McCray Nickens Fellowship

"... written with the skill of a born storyteller gifted with a poet's eye."
      --- Douglas Campbell, winner of the Able Muse
          Write Prize