A linked set of short stories probes the emotional aftershocks of a devastating earthquake through the lives of disparate characters whose routines are ruptured by grief, guilt and sudden dislocation. Blending spare, melancholic realism with surreal intrusions—a talking giant frog, strange apparitions and uncanny coincidences—the tales explore loneliness, the longing for connection, and the fragile ways people try to rebuild meaning after catastrophe, turning small domestic moments into potent metaphors for trauma and quiet possibility.

A collection of strange, dreamlike short stories in which ordinary people encounter uncanny events or objects that reveal hidden fears, destiny and the absurdities of modern life. The tales blend irony and melancholy, shifting between fantasy and realist detail to probe themes of loneliness, fate, death and the bureaucratic or supernatural forces that shape human lives. The prose is spare and evocative, creating a persistent mood of quiet dread and dark wonder.

Set around a Native American reservation, the novel interweaves the lives of several characters across generations—artists, storytellers, veterans, and grieving family members—whose fates become linked by a mysterious painted drum that carries memory, grief, and a capacity for both harm and healing; moving between daily reality and mythic impulse, the narrative examines how history, love, violence, and spiritual tradition shape identity and the possibility of redemption.

Set in 1960s Chicago, this vividly illustrated coming-of-age tale is narrated by a ten-year-old who documents her life in a monster-filled sketchbook as she investigates the suspicious death of an elderly Jewish neighbor, unraveling hidden family histories, neighborhood violence, and questions of identity, grief, and otherness through a mix of childlike noir forensics, graphic imagery, and intimate memoir.

A teenager in Damascus wants to be a journalist in a suppressed society. He writes in his diary, describing his daily life and the rhythms of his hometown. The diary entries provide a personal account of everyday routines, small moments, and the limits placed on expression. Set in Damascus, Syria, the narrative shows his aspirations and ordinary experiences within a constraining social environment.

In Vienna in 1911 Gustav Klimt finds a woman's body in the Danube canal and, while sketching her, she coughs and proves alive. Back at his studio Klimt and his model Wally tend the nearly feral woman who cannot remember who she is, and he names her Judith. She recalls being stranded in the Arctic a century earlier, locked in a crate by Victor Frankenstein and visiting the Underworld. Many people pursue her, including Geoff, a giant croissant eating devil dog of the North.

Set against the Roman siege of Masada, this lyrical novel traces the intertwined lives of four women who find each other on the mountaintop fortress and build a fragile, fiercely loyal community; tending doves, caring for children, practicing healing arts and preserving stories, they confront love, betrayal, faith and loss as they face the extraordinary choices forced by war and the cost of resistance.

At eight, Alfie discovers he can undo any moment and live it again, but he must accept the consequences of his second attempt. He uses the gift to erase embarrassments, test risky near-death experiences, and shape his love life until he falls for Gianna, but he learns one caveat: once he undoes a love, that person can never love him again. Years later, an ailing Alfie is arrested after allegedly cheating at roulette, and a detective's interrogation gradually reveals his life and its outcome.