You're Not Supposed to Cry

These brief, vivid glimpses into the lives of others lay bare the ugliness and absurdity - but also the beauty - of existence. In his flash fictions Gary Duncan explores what it means to be human with insight, compassion and humour.

Family dinner somehow becomes more mundane after Uncle Colin does a fatal face plant into the plum pudding. A lonely old widower sits at home and participates in conversations he records whilst riding the bus. Curled up like a comma, a woman liesin bed and remembers the exclamation-mark man her partner once was. These brief, vivid glimpses into the lives of others lay bare the ugliness and absurdity - but also the beauty - of existence. In his flash fictions Gary Duncan explores what it means to be human with insight, compassion and humour. Paul Beckman, author of Peek, wrote of this book, "Trigger warning! After you read one, Duncan has you hooked. Don't read this collection in one sitting - parcel these stories out and take time in between to reflect on what just took place. These stories are headshaking original, funny, fascinating, at times chilling, and no subject is sacrosanct - all things a 5-star collection should be. Buy two copies - you won't want to lend your only one out."