In stories both absurd and all-too-real, Christopher Evans paints a portrait of the uncanniness of modern life.

The president of a holistic dog food company is haunted by a pop song from her past. Nine siblings band together to raise themselves after parental abandonment. A domestic argument reveals a woman's supernatural gift. A failing musician finds his calling soundtracking another man's life.

Christopher Evans's stories are people with strays -- those who fall for the allure of nostalgia, grapple with male fragility, deny family trauma, and acquiesce to authority. For these characters, resignation and reinvention are only a breath apart.

Nothing Could Be Further from the Truth is a bold debut collection that sits at the threshold of expectation and reality.