Publisher's Synopsis
As Karen Austen points out in her dedication quote from Feodor Dostoyevsky, "...there is no need to embellish reality; it is fantastic enough...." These stories speak of the extraordinary within the ordinary, those moments in every life that are potential to love or loss, birth or death, transformation and change.
Gleaned from her own experience as well as that of friends, family, even strangers, these finely-crafted tales are provocative and peopled by characters who move us every time with their courage and inspiration. Entering this private "hall of fame," the reader finds life lessons for all humanity, full of humour, irony, pathos and hope.
In the tradition of many of the best short story writers, Karen Austen reminds us that it is the smallest as well as the biggest turns that determine a life path, and require from us important choices-all to the effect of learning just how rich with possibility our existence really is....
