Characters all but leap off the page with believability in these marvellous stories of life (and death) in Belfast Sunday TimesMelding his native Irish sensibilities to those of his adopted west-coast Scotland, these tales attend to life s big events: love and loss, separation and violence, death and betrayal. But the stories teem with smaller significant moments too private epiphanies, chilling exchanges, intimate encounters. Each of these extraordinary stories with their wry, self-deprecating humour, their elegance and subtle wisdom gets to the very heart of life.