Among the new arrivals is smart, devious Angelina. She is escaping the shame of her mixed heritage, determined not to live in poverty. Angelina casts a single die, inherited from her father, to help decide her fate.

Over the course of thirty flashes, Throw a Seven follows Angelina and her fellow immigrants, a fascinating cast of characters, as they live, love and fight together over three decades.

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Rachel is ten years old when a dog is rocketed into space. When she is sixteen, the first female astronaut orbits the Earth. At seventeen, she falls in love with Tommy. But Rachel and Tommy’s love is not written in those distant stars. Facing disapproval and uncertainty, they are forced apart.

Half a century later, they cross paths in a hotel bar and are confronted with a lifetime of what-ifs. Rachel’s life of social conformity has brought her the joys and heartbreaks of motherhood. Tommy’s marriage into high society has made him the most famous artist of a generation. But what if they had never given up on their dreams of adventure? Is what they gained apart worth as much as what they might have had together?

At the Bottom of the Stairs is a story of female space explorers and climbing trees, of loving the life you didn’t lead and learning to love the one you did.

Praise for At the Bottom of the Stairs

Full of wisdom, beauty and skill, Banks creates a powerful story that pierces the soul.
—FJ Morris, author of This Is (Not About) David Bowie

At the Bottom of the Stairs is a genuinely touching book and a pleasure to read.
—Gaynor Jones, author of Among These Animals

A love letter to language, such is the quality of Banks’ prose.
—Michael Loveday, author of Unlocking the Novella-in-Flash and Three Men on the Edge

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In 1982, the year of the Falklands War, three naïve and self-absorbed students move to the dystopic Lovelace Flats and become unwittingly embroiled in a series of deaths. Petra, Woody, and Stan know the flats are run-down and disreputable, but the year starts with a cold winter, and underfloor heating is included in the rent — as if the flats were built directly over the firepits of hell.

Praise for Lovelace Flats

A complex, ambitious, and deeply impressive novella, Lovelace Flats has real charm as well as an edge. Jupiter Jones builds a rich story-world from vivid settings, and her ensemble cast is a 1980s society in microcosm.
—Michael Loveday, author of Unlocking the Novella-in-Flash

Jupiter Jones is that rare thing — a writer with a voice entirely, unmistakably her own. In darkly comic prose, packed full of startling linguistic brio, Lovelace Flats transports us to the concrete walkways and landings of the 1980s inner-city flats. A tautly plotted story building to a terrifying climax.
—David Rhymes, author of The Last Days of the Union

In this novella, Jupiter Jones achieves a perfect balance of tension and humour. Each character, whether central or peripheral, is intricately drawn — complex, surprising, often vulnerable. I loved it.
—Johanna Robinson, author of Homing

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"A straw man hung above my door like a ward of protection. Really it was a lure to charm my dead husband back. But it, like my other delusions and lies, drew lightning."

Ten years after the death of her husband, Rosa struggles to move on and takes solace in rituals and superstition. Sol, a young fisherman, braves the sea to prove himself to an absent father. As a storm rips through the small community, disaster lays bare old secrets. Rosa and Sol’s lives tangle in tragic circumstances, forcing them to face the truth about themselves and the ones they loved.

Straw Gods is the debut novella-in-flash from Tom O’Brien, a heart-wrenching drama both moving and exhilarating, perceptively exploring the effects of grief and the lasting bonds of family and friendship.

Reviews

Straw Gods is a lyrical, fierce exploration of the dance of grief. O’Brien brings psychological depth to the characters with his understanding of the tricks of heart and minds that carry those who suffer. The beautiful writing will sweep you along the ebb and flow of pain, regret, yearning and ultimately self-knowledge. Unmissable.
—Stephanie Carty, Three Sisters of Stone

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