Shapeshifting

The fourteen spellbinding stories in Michelle Rosss second collection invite readers into the shadows of social-media perfectionism and the relentless cult of motherhood. A recovering alcoholic navigates the social landscape of a toddler playdate; a mother of two camps out in a van to secure her sons spot at a prestigious kindergarten; a young girl forces her friends to play an elaborate unwinnable game. With unflinching honesty and vivid lyric prose Ross explores the familial ties that bind us together-or sometimes tear us apart.