The CBC Literary Award–winning title story from Claire Battershill’s debut collection, winner of the Canadian Authors Association Emerging Writer Award, and a finalist for the Canadian Authors Association Emerging Writer Award and the PEN International / New Voices Award.
 
For as long as Susan can remember, the circus has been part of her family’s DNA – her mother was a gifted contortionist, and her grandfather played the role of a man-wrestling bear. Coming from such a storied family, a young woman like Susan should find it easy to walk the tightrope of expectation that comes with being an adult, shouldn’t she? But when she starts a new job, she finds herself grappling with the capriciousness of life and love, and questioning her own next steps.