Forced intimacies, dead dogs, errant balloons, a troubled chef’s encounter with ethereal Swedish lesbians, all form this remarkable short story collection, Bodies in Trouble, depicting characters coping with faltering relationships, simmering violence, and light-drenched visions. Stories of damaged daughters and abandoned sons, of near-crashes, lost loves, and late nights steeped in regret. Lurking within these tales is the glimmer of hope from a brave choice, a bold action, the recalibration of a dangerous path.

Diane Carley was longlisted for CBC’s 2019 Short Story Contest and her work has been published in The Antigonish Review, The Fiddlehead, Riddle Fence, The New Quarterly, subTerrain, Other Voices, Release Any Words Stuck Inside You (RAWSIY) III, the Canadian Authors Association’s Building Community anthology, and The Globe and Mail. She has also written and produced documentaries for CBC Radio. Diane lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

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Diane Carley's story collection Bodies in Trouble is full of characters in search of love, full of desire, and punishing, thwarted obsessions. There are wise children who are disappointed by their parents, chameleons, cupcakes and grief, there is humour and grit. These characters will give a bolt of recognition - they are you and me. Carley is a lean, strong writer - every word matters. She's the love child of Raymond Carver and Alice Munro, Sharp, sensitive, excellent stories full of emotion, like putting your hand over a racing heart. This writing is as vivid as it gets.

- Lisa Moore, author of This is How We Love