Damaged in Transit
By (Author) Mary Manning
Spineless Wonders
Spineless Wonders
1st November 2012
Australia
Paperback
152
Width 135mm, Height 205mm
This exciting debut collection of short stories includes a Goth clutching a homemade tart on a Melbourne tram, an old lady camping out on a medium strip and a wife who follows her trainspotting husband into his dreams. A person fitting on a suburban train challenges the equilibrium of urbane commuters and the weird guy jotting down words in the mall is about to commit an unspeakable crime. In Manning's fractured future worlds, sexual partners are purchased and returned like commodities and language, culture and religion are all dealt a body blow. Expertly crafted and highly imaginative, the stories explore alienation, criminal behaviour and love. There is also theme of longing in these stories-for connection and understanding in a world where relationships and people are variously damaged. Mary Manning writes with compassion, linguistic flair and a particular brand of wicked humour.
Mary Manning is a writer of short stories, poetry, and educational books. Her stories have been awarded in the Victorian Fellowship of Writers and published in Eureka Street, Slippery When Wet, and Gathering Force. Her poetry has been published in Small City Tales of Strangeness and Beauty and awarded in the Reason-Brisbane Poetry Competition and by the Melbourne Poets' Union.