Love in the Time of Literature

“There were no monsters. She remembered that now too. They weren’t real, Mama had said. They couldn’t hurt you. There was nothing under the bed. Nothing that could devour her whole. Nothing with gnashing teeth or slavering jaws. Mama had told her so.
But Mama had lied.

Mama had met monsters, and so would Ellen. They had square brown hands, and...

What happens when life doesn’t turn out as planned? This collection of two darkly evocative stories explores the choices and compromises we make in life and in love, and how they can trap or liberate us, depending on our mindset.

In “Cage Life,” a young mother feels like a prisoner in her own home. Her decision to escape the perceived bonds of...