Waiting for the Cyclone (Stories)

"A radiant debut—beautifully written, passionate, and whip smart." —Ayelet Tsabari, winner of the 2015 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature

In the realm of fiction, women are too often cast as inherently good—typically kind, always considerate, and traditionally in possession of high morals. Not so in the audacious stories of Waiting for the Cyclone.

Debbie, a seemingly perfect mother, shoots pharmaceuticals at night, and Donna lies to her family about volunteering in Afghanistan so she can parasail in Turkey. There’s also Alison, who wakes up in bed with a tattooed Mexican man, instead of the less-interesting man who brought her on vacation (her husband). These women, and a dozen others, don’t need to be liked and are not compelled to make apologies. These women are perfectly imperfect.

At times fast and reckless and at others, calm yet under high pressure, this collection is a powerful literary debut from one of Canada’s most promising young writers.

"Original, honest. . . Far from shelter, readers will find themselves pulled closer and closer to the eye of this storm. Brace yourself: these women are unflinchingly real. You will not be able to look away.” —Elisabeth de Mariaffi, giller-nominated author of How to Get Along with Women