In this collection of searing stories, everyone is damaged, wrestling with their mistakes while carving a path toward redemption. A mother, suffering from dementia, dresses in bee keeper costumes, dresses as Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra, while conveying the art of a well-lived life to her son and granddaughter. A different mother teaches her sons how to steal from their employer working undercover of the night. Lovers save each other from demise. Bored and angry teens shoot potatoes, then mice across a lake using a homemade launcher. A daughter competes for attention with her father’s new, conniving girlfriend. Nothing is as it seems in these stories which strike both hard and tender, taking straight aim at the heart. “Len Kuntz excavates the underside of humanity through fevered, lyrical language. He evokes vital wounds and resilience of childhood translated into the scarred psyche of adulthood, relationships, survival or not. Kuntz is a phenomenon. His work is unforgettable. Get a copy!”—Meg Tuite, author of Lined Up Like Scars “In this electrifying collection, Kuntz examines the complicated nature of what it means to be alive. His characters are beautifully flawed and his prose is simultaneously honest, elegant, and savage. These stories are fierce and they promise to stay with you, lingering, haunting you for days. Truly some of the best fiction I’ve ever read.”—Karen Stefano, author of The Secret Games of Words “Len Kuntz is a fearless writer with a big, stirring heart. He will eviscerate you with a line, then throw his arms around you. The characters in this minimalist collection loom large with ache and alienation as they struggle to repair nerves rubbed raw from irrevocable damage, stumbling along the terrifying path to survival exquisitely - if darkly - lit by human connection.”—Sara Lippmann, author of Doll Palace "Len Kuntz has been writing precise, powerful short stories for some time now, and it's a great pleasure to see these packed into a book. These stories are razor-edged, language-driven, and brutally lovely - while also exposing the hard hurts in the world for the observant soul."—Amber Sparks, author of The Unfinished World “Len Kuntz writes stories that are often funny and heartbreaking but always shine with precision and grace. His characters, through their wit and charm, evoke a deeply profound glimpse into the human spirit.”—Brandon Hobson, author of Deep Ellum "Great stories told with compassion and humor, maximum power, no fat. Len Kuntz does everything right.”—Ben Loory, author of Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day “The winds may roar full-throated, but Kuntz chooses a different course, selecting precise details (augmented by the occasional trope) to lead his readers into the heart of achingly human situations: coping with death and regret, children converting food scavenging into a game, the trauma of babies nobody wants. Don't be afraid to dip in: Kuntz isn't going to waste your time.”—Cooper Renner, Founder of Elimae Magazine