This is Gary Couzens' second anthology. The stories here demonstrate his unique style and uncanny ability to get under the skin of his characters, creating unforgettable scenes that, though set in the real world, stray into the worlds of fantasy, horror and the supernatural.

 

These 18 stories (including a novella) cover the full range of human sexual and emotional experiences, tinged with tragedy, both real and ethereal. These stories pull no punches. They are raw, yet at the same time, convey a deep and lasting subtlety that transcends the subject matter, taking the reader to a place beyond everyday struggles, that is somehow greater than the sum of its parts.

 

You will not forget these stories and you will have to search long and hard to find anything that resonates quite so exquisitely, both in your own life and the lives of those around you. 

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REVIEW FROM TERRY GRIMWOOD: 

OUTSTACK AND OTHER PLACES by Gary Couzens and published by Trevor Denyer and his marvellous Midnight Street Press...A magnificent collection, slipstream at its finest, moving, unflinching and compelling. These stories are peopled by the ordinary, those we know; good people, well-intentioned, selfless and selfish, beautiful, flawed and damaged. People brush up against the dark and strange so lightly that each encounter is the kiss of a spider web. Unsettling but often barely noticed until moments later when the truth dawns. The closing story is an emotion-wrenching masterpiece.

 

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