Such a Lovely Afternoon is a dazzling debut collection from award-winning Yukon writer Patti Flather.

A feisty young tomboy grapples with gender roles with sometimes hilarious results, a refugee single dad struggles for dignity in his northern community, and a malfunctioning compost toilet and wacky neighbours upturn a woman's island cabin life, among other tales.

Against vivid landscapes from Canada's West Coast to Hong Kong to the Yukon, Flather reveals poignant beauty, compassion and humour in everyday lives, with characters searching for identity and belonging, delving into their resilience and humanity.