Eight brilliant stories by a master of the form, author of the classic 'Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam' and 'The Kiss' A contented woman finds herself considering a bizarre sexual invitation that just days before filled her with scorn. A mediocre man is pulled into a strange dance with his stalker. A father gives his daughter a Christmas present with a disturbing history. An ugly sports parent plays a game of ridiculous chance. A young boy's music lesson offers him a discordant insight into adult behaviour. And in a primal tale about the borderline between animals and humans, death is horrifyingly not the end of the story . . . Compulsively readable, pitch-perfect in mood, Gravel ponders the forces that can wear down a marriage, darken desire, lead people to thwart their best intentions. PRAISE FOR GOLDSWORTHY'S SHORT FICTION 'Stories of magnificent achievement and disturbing power' Gail Jones, Australian Book Review 'A subtle hook draws the reader in . . . Once the lure is taken, you're drawn effortlessly to the end' Barry Oakley, Weekend Australian 'Goldsworthy's brilliance is peculiarly Australian. His is a literature of the Australian mundane' Ben Eltham, Courier-Mail