Cocktail

From quiet reflection to explosive power dynamics in a marriage, taut short stories reveal the tension between the lives we build and our deepest inner selves. Underneath layers of wallpaper and plaster, a young housewife discovers two unnerving portraits. A middle-aged divorcee wrestles with old feelings as she follows her ex, and his realtor, on a tour of a decrepit, overgrown property. During her parents' cocktail party, a preteen is visited in her bedroom by a drunken guest, a moment that defines her love life for years to come. A lonely professional convinces herself that the working-class boyfriend she dumped in 1984 is her one true love. From 1970s Orlando to contemporary Halifax, Cocktail spans decades of moods and places with precision. These are intimate, immersive stories of life's unexpected watershed moments, in which seemingly insignificant details exert a tidal pull and chance encounters can irreversibly shape a life.