This enigmatic collection of short stories gives a fly-on-the-wall perspective on the intimacies of life. Lively dialogue combines with intricate description to create tangible worlds where love comes to life and loss is vividly wounding. From young love and adventure, to poverty and grief, Collins covers a rainbow of experiences, and offers an engaging twist of results. An emotional and eye-opening snapshot of all that life has to offer.

Can you trust a boyfriend who can't seem to commit himself? Can you trust your young wife on a beach in sunny Spain? Can you trust your little girl with her grown-up cousin, when they like to go swimming? Against backgrounds as varied as seaside towns, the South African bush and the Cornish moors, BC Collins weaves stories that centre on the issues of returning and coming home. Some don't make it, like the misguided Piers in the story 'The Unexpected'. Another leaves prison to find personal redemption. Others discover happiness in renewed friendships from long ago. With their timeless themes...

Time moves on. Children grow up, fall in love, get married and have their own children. Take a girl called Sophie. She's an orphan and is brought up for the first few years of her life by a grandmother who doesn't really want her. Will she find someone to give her proper care and attention? Will she create a loving home of her own when she grows up? And what of those who dream of drastically changing the pattern of their lives? This is just what Richard and Janice do when they buy a beautiful farmhouse in Cornwall and convert it into a holiday centre. How do they cope with all the hard work?...

Sparkling with a bright array of characters and a shrewd inventiveness, each story in this seven-story collection looks deep into the heart of the relationships that shape our very humanity. Whether it be the love between a mother and her children, the anxiety of wanting to impress the 'in-laws', or the sudden discovery of long-lost relations, the follies and triumphs of life are poignantly explored. In a patois of hope and well-being, BC Collins' carefully modulated Christian message is sure to touch your heart. Since her first novella, BC Collins has become widowed. To keep her- self...

In The Debate Connie and Jack are outraged to discover that their local council has decided to build a new hospital in their area, leaving them without a local hospital for the duration of the building work. They go along to a debate with the council and everyone from the town speaks out against the plans. But can they persuade the council that they are making a mistake?

Also in this collection is School Summer Break, a story about one mans attempt to do right by his family. When Lesley finds out that his wife has been unfaithful to him, he bans her from ever seeing their daughters again. He...