Secrets: Stories Selected by Marthe Jocelyn

Book excerpt: In all their permutations, these unforgettable stories explore one of the irresistible facets of human nature, the fact that everyone has a secret. Marthe Jocelyn has selected twelve stories by several of the best authors in North America to explore the nature and the power of secrets. Sometimes secrets can be downright funny – how would you like to be the front person for your fake, clairvoyant mother? Secrets can also be scary – if you are pretending that your father is dead so you don’t have to introduce him to your teacher. And sometimes secrets can break your heart, and heal it – when they have to do with the ties that bind generations together. Contributors include Susan Adach, Anne Carter, Gillian Chan, Nancy Hartry, Marthe Jocelyn, Julie Johnston, Dayal Kaur Khalsa, Loris Lesynski, Anne Gray Sarndal, Martha Slaughter, Teresa Toten, and Elizabeth Winthrop.