Women on the Brink

Women on the Brink is a stunning collection of loosely linked stories in which women aged thirteen to ninety must face the unwelcome realities of their lives. Sometimes gritty sometimes humorous and always compassionate G. Elizabeth Kretchmers prose takes the reader on a compelling ride alongside these ordinary women as they wrestle with family relationships self-esteem socioeconomic status maternal obligations and need for independence.In Skydancer a young mother resents her newborn baby. In Float Away an at-risk teen is desperate to find a new home. A ministers wife struggles with secrets in Liars Game. A despondent housewife longs for purpose in Alligator Poetry. The protagonist in Tasting Freedom wrestles with decisions about her aging mothers care. And in From Here to Cafayate a woman refuses to give up on the perpetually flawed relationship she has shared with her sister for nearly ninety years.Each story is enhanced by one of fourteen original poems contributed by talented poets specifically for this collection and its themes. Although the stories stand alone they are further strengthened by the relationships among the various characters throughout the collection. Readers of Ms. Kretchmers first novel The Damnable Legacy will also delight to find that some of the characters from that novel have reappeared here.The women in this collection may or may not be the type youd invite over for lunch. Some of them are tough. Some arent all that likeable. Some might not see the world the way you do. But theyre compelling in their own right as they reflect women in todays world--women who have come along a difficult path--and as they courageously take control of their lives.