First published in the UK in 2017 by Apollo, an imprint of Head of Zeus, Ltd.
Copyright © Elske Rahill, 2017
‘Toby’ was first published in AGNI, Fall 2016.
‘A Wife’ was first published in Dubliners 100, Tramp Press, 2014, as ‘A Mother’, to mark the centenary of James Joyce’s Dubliners.
‘Bride’ was first published in The Dublin Review, 2012.
‘Terraforming’ was first published in A Kind of Compass, Tramp Press, 2015.
‘Manners’ was first published in The Dublin Review, 2011.
‘Cords’ was first published in Home (part of the pan-European project ‘Scritture Giovanni’), 2015.
‘Tasteless’ was first published in The Tangerine, Winter 2016.
The moral right of Elske Rahill to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
These stories are works of fiction. Like all fiction, they are built out of lived experience. While some of the scenarios may be speculated from contemporary political, legal and material circumstances, their details are imaginary; the events they present are fictitious. Character names or traits resembling those of actual persons are coincidental and should not be inferred as references to living individuals. If there are similarities between the organisations portrayed in these stories, and existing businesses, charities or institutions, they are unintentional and should not be considered accurate reports.
9 7 5 3 1 2 4 6 8
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (HB): 9781786691040
ISBN (XTPB): 9781786691057
ISBN (E): 9781786691033
Design: Hannah Ellis
Author photo: Hartwig Klappert
Apollo
c/o Head of Zeus
First Floor East
5–8 Hardwick Street
London EC1R 4RG