On Snakes & Other Stories

From a destructive encounter with a lover's long-lost sister in "On Snakes", to a delirious but inevitably doomed night in Manchester in "This Blue, Blue Air," and from a relationship between family members in bloom (but not for long) in "The Way That Things Feel", to reflections on personal value in "Love and Money" - Yrsa Daley-Ward's collection of short stories is a lively and entertaining debut. With a clear, confident voice and a comforting and often poignant intimacy, her stories are a series of adventures with fascinating characters and emotionally charged unpredictability.