First published 2005
In "Boys," a battle-worn general arrives with his sons at a village where determined mothers refuse to yield. The confrontation reveals how war reshapes both conquerors and the conquered. "I Live with You" introduces an uninvited guest whose presence transforms a household in unexpected ways. "The Library" follows survivors who discover hope growing from the ashes of burned books, creating something like Eden from destruction. Carol Emshwiller weaves thirteen stories that move between battlefields and intimate spaces, examining how people seduce, resist, and endure. A prince tends mules while an assassin questions love. Doctors make impossible choices and mothers protect what matters most. Each story balances fierce conflict with surprising tenderness, finding absurd humor in desperate situations. The collection reveals how ordinary people navigate extraordinary circumstances, whether facing censorship, invasion, or the simple chaos of unwanted intimacy.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, family-life, war
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, ordinary-people-in-extraordinary-circumstances
232 pages · Paperback · Tachyon Publications
Content warnings: violence, war