When marriages, friendships, and families come undone, to what lengths do we go to keep it all together? That question lies at the heart of Brendan Mathews's buoyant and unforgettable debut story collection. A young mother watches as her desperate husband, convinced a hidden poison lurks inside their walls, tears their home apart. Two journalists bruised by romance and revolution, one a survivor of the Bosnian War, trade tales of lovers. A father and his sons haggle over the family business during a high-stakes game of golf. And a lovesick circus clown tries to explain the accidents that bound him to a trapeze artist and a witless lion tamer. .

Heroes of the revolution --This is not a love song -- Airborne -- How long does the first part last? -- Dunn & Sons -- Look at everything -- The drive -- Henry and his brother -- Salvage -- My last attempt to explain to you what happened with the lion tamer.