Book excerpt: The short story is one of Ireland's national treasures, and within these pages are some of its finest practitioners — from such established names as Julia O'Faolain, Claire Keegan and Christine Dwyer Hickey, to the exciting new voices of Judy Kravis, Eithne McGuinness and Cherry Smyth. Here we have stories of dysfunctional marriages, abnormal goings on in rural outposts, urban alienation, and kitchen sink dramas where the woman is no longer tied to the kitchen sink but railing against past wrongs. Issues of domestic violence, child abuse, and abortion are laid startlingly bare. The voices are bold, unsentimental, often very funny, and always deeply affecting. Part of a series showcasing contemporary women writers from around the world.