Wallflowers

From windswept Pacific beaches to the inner reaches of the human heart,Wallflowersis a shimmering and often surprising journey of discovery, with many unexpected turns along the way. Robertson has created a cast of unique and wholly engaging characters. Here there are swindlers and innocents, unlikely heroes and gritty survivors they teach us how to trap humming birds, relinquish dreams gracefully, and feed raccoons without getting bitten. "Wish you were here" letters on a road trip parallel a woman's painful trip into her family's dysfunctional past reminiscences of a beloved sibling are inextricably bound up with calamityand roommate problems lead to a surprising, and skin-crawling,revelation. Robertson smashes stereotypes even as she shows us remarkable new ways of experiencing the world and of relating to our fellow human beings. (FromPenguin Canada)

Wallflowerswon the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2013.