Testing the Waters and other stories

A weekend visitor, a long absent sister - a new friendship, an old superstition - a lingering melody, a suppressed memory – a holiday that reveals, another that restores – just some of the ingredients in this collection of a dozen warm and engaging short stories.

From wild northern coastlines to warm southern shores, from close knit villages to urban city streets, the stories take the reader on swift journeys into the complications of domestic lives – of single women and wives, sisters, lovers and mothers - with the consolation of happy resolutions.

Family loyalties are tested in The Call of the Seagulls. That Song recalls the potency of music and discontent threatens the stability of a marriage in The Country Wife. A young child in Special Delivery faces a different kind of Christmas whilst the new owners of a remote cottage find their elderly neighbour more challenging than expected in Home Truths. Seize the Moment sees Louise confronting the unexpected in her relationship with her daughter and in A Growing Family a considerable adjustment is required. And the title story, Testing the Waters, set in an idyllic holiday setting, follows the fortunes of Helen as she tries to negotiate a relationship with the daughter of her new partner.

Loss and love – sentimentality and humour – disappointment and hope – Testing the Waters and other stories offers a ride through lives that may sound vaguely familiar to the reader yet offer a brief, entertaining escape from the reality of their own.