'A rare writer who is willing to address issues topical to contemporary Britain.' -Daily Telegraph The actors in these short stories quietly and unobtrusively assume their place in the world. An older woman rids herself of social shackles in the hypnotic title story as she moves toward the sea and freedom, a man packs in his day job to sell miniature suitcases, while a woman converts a freelance evangelist after their plane nearly crashes. Maggie Gee is the author of the well-received novelsThe White Family andThe Flood. She is the first female chair of the Royal Society of Literature.