Saints and runners

by Libby Scheier

What do you say to your young son when he wants to know why his goldfish died? When he is still in love with your ex-lover? If a tiny, naked woman took up residence in a man's ear, would she whisper sweet nothings? Should you ever consult your lover's therapist? What do men want? These are just some of the questions raised by the linked short stories and novella about Arla and her son Sam in Saints and Runners. This collection is rounded out by The Runner, a novella about two very different women (or are they?), raising their baby sons alone, who meet at a drop-in centre. One of the women seems to be skittering along the edge of depression and paranoia - did the police really stop her and beat her up when she was running alone by the lake?