Rag Pickers

A sinister note sewn in the lining of a vintage jacket from a second-hand store compels a young woman to make changes in her life. A brother discovers his dying twin has been burying jars of coins in an attempt to create mystery in a neighbourhood. On his 43rd birthday a man realizes that the critical events of his life occur in years when his age is a prime number. A woman reconfigures her stick figure on the back window of the family minivan in an act of defiance and reinvention. <br /><br /><em>Rag Pickers</em> is a collection of eighteen short stories that challenge the essential loneliness of the human condition. Blaine Newton writes with wry humour deep observation and an off-kilter perspective bringing his skill as a playwright to crackling dialogue and polished prose. Well-crafted heartbreaking and really really funny this is a book for anyone who has ever felt alone.