Isabella Speaight

An anthology of female-focused stories about finding your voice, living your truth and learning to persist in the face of hardship.

Two young women sneak away from their strict stately home existence to lay their pet canary to rest. One white and one mixed race, these are cousins bonded by more than blood. Stood at the cusp of the ocean, it soon transpires that one of them is pregnant and they contemplate what should be done.

In typical Arab fashion and on the prowl for lady suitors, Roula invites Zeina and her daughter Reem over for an Arabic coffee matinee. When young Reem is encouraged to participate in a coffee cup reading ritual, she gets more than she bargained for. In true Lovecraftian fashion, the ritual goes awry – she can no longer unsee what she now sees; she can no longer unhear what she now hears, and things will never be the same again.