The pink house and other stories

"The Pink House, Licia Canton's much anticipated second collection of short fiction, like her first, Almond Wine and Fertility (2008), delves into the lives of ordinary people who must contend with extraordinary situations: an elderly man is determined to renew his motorcycle license, a woman is immobilized on a cold sidewalk after an accident, a recent immigrant finds love on a blind date, a middle-aged woman remembers her first love affair, a suburban mom takes a break from her hectic schedule. These carefully crafted narratives take the reader to a variety of settings: a vineyard in Italy, a quiet street in Vienna, a university library, a shopping centre, a crowded street corner late at night, a restaurant in Little Italy. Licia Canton powerfully conveys the emotions that drive the characters to action and, in the process, compels readers to contemplate the challenges we all face."--