Bad Endings

• Bad Endings is a finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

• Carleigh Baker wins 2017 Vancouver Book Award for her short story collection Bad Endings

Carleigh Baker likes to make light in the dark. Whether plumbing family ties, the end of a marriage or death itself, she never lets go of the witty, the ironic and perhaps most notably, the awkward. Despite the title, the resolution in these stories isn't always tragic, but it's often uncomfortable, unexpected or just plain strange. Character digressions, bad decisions and misconceptions abound.

• Why Carleigh Baker was lost until she wrote a short story collection

• Carleigh Baker on the intense emotions that drive her writing process

While steadfastly local in her choice of setting, Baker's deep appreciation for nature takes a lot of these stories out of Vancouver and into the wild. Salmon and bees play reoccurring roles in these tales, as do rivers. Occasionally, characters blend with their animal counterparts, adding a touch of magic realism. Nature is a place of escape and attempted convalescence for characters suffering from urban burnout. Even if things get weird along the way, as Hunter S. Thompson said, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

• CarleighBaker is one of CBC Books' 17 writers to watch in 2017

In Bad Endings, Baker takes troubled characters to a moment of realization or self-revelation, but the results aren't always pretty. (From Anvil Press)

• 14 great Canadian collections to read to celebrate Short Story Month

Interviews

From the book