"Nothing fancy here; life can be, and is, lived by its bare essentials." Choosing to live in a small town means more time for Simone to paint, but it's difficult to be so far removed from other places. The most revealing separation of all is from her husband, who is far away on the other side of the world.

The short story collection Poached Egg On Toast showcases Itani's ability to shine a clear light on what it feels like to be an outsider, displaced and disconnected from the world at hand, and how a single, small moment can cause a seismic shift in our emotional landscape. Wickedly funny and unbearably sad, Itani's stories leave us with a renewed sense of humanity.

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