Sharon Kernot presents an assortment of short stories that reside and crackle in the tense spaces of suburban Australia. She writes about poverty, addiction and difficult relationships. Her stories revolve around suburban streets; they dip into the local shopping mall, the welfare office, community centre and the neighbour's house. There is much darkness in these pages but there is also light, laughter and hope. 'These stories, concisely but movingly, take the small moments of life, the small losses, and from them whole lives are given to us. We are grateful for the truth in these stories, which fill us with their larger overtones.' - Tom Shapcott