Tiny Shoes Dancing and Other Stories

Written by Audrey Kalman

Narrated by Audrey Kalman

This collection of short fiction, shortlisted for the 2019 Rubery Book Award, opens a door on ordinary worlds turned extraordinary, where deeper meaning hides beneath everyday conversations and the possibility of tragedy—and redemption—is always close at hand.

In the title story, Jody catalogues her parental failures as she worries whether her ballet-crazed teen daughter will make it onto the stage. C.J. adopts his dead grandmother’s dog, risking eviction but opening himself to the possibility of love. Brianna uses a spoonful of pudding as a weapon. Judy begins a secret life as an erotica writer. Jake’s Bar Mitzvah preparations reveal tensions that threaten to split his family.

The women, men, children, dogs, and cats in these stories fight their worst impulses, circle each other warily, and occasionally connect. They struggle to make sense of the world and their place in it, with results sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, and always relatable.

"The author charts a course deep into the heart of our psychological preoccupations, exploring those dark places with relentless wit, lyricism and candour. A superb collection." --from the 2019 Rubery Book Award review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Terrella Media Inc.
• Release date: Apr 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781732054677

Audrey Kalman

Audrey Kalman writes literary fiction with a dark edge, often about what goes awry when human connection is missing from our lives. She is the author of two novels-"What Remains Unsaid"(2017) and "Dance of Souls" (2011)-and numerous short stories. She lives in northern California and is working on another novel. More at audreykalman.com.

Reviews for Tiny Shoes Dancing and Other Stories

[emily_wai_catan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tiny Shoes Dancing And Other Stories by Audrey Kalman is a collection of her short stories that are written with a dark edge. Each story is unique with its unexpected twist and spin, and more often than not would lead readers down a dark path of fascination. The author normally would leave the stories “open-ended”, allowing readers to imagine their perspective on the endings.This is my first read of Audrey Kalman, and I adore her creative spin of these short stories that are not uncommon because they are telling the reality of life.