This is a collection of stories by an important new and emerging talent. The voices of the characters in this collection have an unmistakable individuality which reveal themselves in a very sparse prose style. The title story explores the innermost feelings of an Ojibway woman trapped in an abusive relationship who begins seeing rodents intruding into her home. Another story probes the voice of a club fighter on a fast downward slide. Another explores the quality of a woman who recognises an old friend in the face of a homeless man.

All the stories attempt to strip away the disguises that...