A bereaved mother borrows her next door neighbour’s baby. An outsider builds a gingerbread house at the edge of an English village. A woman is seduced into buying special-offer babies at the supermarket. A father is reminded of his son as he watches the rescue of a group of Chilean miners. A little boy attempts to engineer a happily ever after following the death of his sister.

With psychological insight and a lightness of touch frequently found in fairy tales, Bray delves under the surface of ordinary lives to explore loss, disappointment, frustrated expectations and regret. Described as ‘not just excellent, but significant,’ by poet and critic Robert Sheppard, these dark and lyrical stories illuminate extraordinary and everyday occurrences with humanity and humour.

‘Carys Bray lays to rest the myth that fiction which examines the domestic sphere is familiar and unchallenging. She explores parenthood, loss, childhood and belonging with razor-sharp prose, a killer eye for the stop-in-your-tracks detail and a real understanding of the hidden cruelties and unexpectedly sharp comforts of family life.’ Jenn Ashworth

‘I think the ability to cross gender is the mark of a real writer. The author knew her stuff – the mounting parental anxiety was keenly observed and conveyed, very authentically, the appalling and perpetual torment of irrational fear.’ Salley Vickers

‘Suburbia in all its tarnished glory – Carys Bray teases at the cracks, and pulls at all the loose threads dangling, in short stories that are funny and sad and achingly true.’ Robert Shearman

‘She explores serious human issues with narrative control and whimsical style.’ Charles E. May