First published 2018
A baby holds secrets no adult can decode. Two teenagers draw blueprints for a time machine that might actually work. A man watches his dog with growing unease, sensing something predatory beneath its loyalty. Childhood friends meet again after years apart, discovering how much distance can grow between people who once shared everything. Fridlund constructs these moments with precision, examining how people connect and disconnect in the confined spaces of family homes, small towns, and shared histories. Her characters navigate the territory between intimacy and alienation, where envy masquerades as affection and hope collides with disappointment. A mother studies her infant's face for clues about who this person will become. Friends plot escapes from their present circumstances. Neighbors maintain careful distances while living close enough to hear each other breathe. These stories capture the weight of small deceptions and the surprising heft of everyday revelations. Fridlund reveals how people construct meaning from the ordinary friction of living alongside others, finding both comfort and threat in proximity.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
194 pages · Paperback · W&N