'Stories of mystery, desire and secret lives. A young woman with a secret walks into the life of an older woman who acts out her own daily pretence. When childhood resentments flare on a fishing trip, a man swims to shore from the boat; his decision changes his life forever. A widow delights in the dance of a bowerbird in her garden until she discovers another presence in the bamboo grove. On his first day out of prison, a man finds he is not yet free. After a chance meeting, a man is unwillingly drawn into the lives of a couple facing a major crisis. A young woman tracks down her mother in London and unexpectedly finds her father as well. From a coastal village in Australia to London and Kyoto, Jennifer Shapcott’s stories sparkle with poignancy and humour.' (Publication summary)
