What Cassandra Saw. Stories

Sisters and mothers, housewives and witches, the prophetess Cassandra and the queen of the Britons Boudica — in her debut collection of stories, Gwen Kirby writes about women often balancing on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Each story here brings surprises: instructions for tiling a bathroom turn into a grand tragedy, a restaurant review becomes a reflection on a less-than-happy marriage, and one of the most touching tales revolves around a forgotten kangaroo stuffing in a suitcase. Kirby's daring, funny, and invariably human texts are centered around women, but the experiences of her heroines are universal: they are ready to confront the imperfect, and at times simply hostile, world with all the fury and love they are capable of.