The collection is made up of twenty four stories selected from the Margaret River Short Story Competition. There is a strong sense throughout this collection of stories of characters playing their parts--sometimes on a large stage, but more frequently in a single room, or its equivalent. Stories about characters controlling their destinies are in the minority. If one could generalise about a connection between social issues and literary works, then it would seem that there is a prevailing concern out there with the fragility of relationships between men and women (especially those of middle age), the often challenging relationships between parents and children, and an anxiety about the realities of old age.