Summary

In the Introduction, the author directly addresses the reader, explaining that she was in Japan at the start of the pandemic. The author states that she does not readily recall the pieces that she has written, and a friend commented to her “. . . perhaps, writing is like channeling a spirit in a prolonged séance” (ii). The author explains that the stories are tales of “warrior women and runaway princesses; ordinary girls battling faery queens” and others (iii). The author asks the reader to “dwell in possibility,” particularly if the reader is going through difficult times (iv).

The first story in the collection is titles is “Sympathy for the Bones.” The narrator Clora explains that she has been to the funeral of Edward Bromes and she “burned the doll that killed him” (1). The next day...