'Taut, beautiful and savage' GuardianA man travels to his son's school to deal with the fallout of a violent attack and to make sure his son will not lose his college place. But what exactly has his son done? And who is to blame? A young woman trying to make it in LA, working in a clothes shop while taking acting classes, turns to a riskier way of making money but will be forced to confront the danger of the game she's playing.And a family coming together for Christmas struggle to skate over the lingering darkness caused by the very ordinary brutality of a troubled husband and father. Subtle, sophisticated and displaying an extraordinary understanding of human behaviour, these stories from the best-selling author of The Girls are unforgettable.______________________ PRAISE FOR 'It is her piercing understanding of modern humiliation that makes these stories vibrate with life...brilliant' Brandon Taylor'Razor-sharp' Evening Standard'Cline's talent at uncovering the seedy and somehow bringing it to beautiful light is brilliant' Daisy Johnson'Something about Cline's intimate tone, her talent for conjuring the feeling of being alive, is entirely and uniquely her own' Rachel Kushner'A stunning collection of stories that plunges deep into the dark corners of the human experience' Dazed