Contents Our Love Could Light The World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 And To The Ones Left Behind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Just Another Lost Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 A Simple Theory of Heartache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Into My Loving Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Maggie's Dare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 The Concept of Kindness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 The Sorrow of The Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 The Ordeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 The Caregiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Lavinia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

“Parrish weaves linked, darkly humorous tales of aging, death, love and alcoholism using the gothic tropes of Southern literary fiction.” —Kirkus Reviews “Parrish is in possession of such precise prose, devilish wit, and big-hearted compassion that I couldn’t help but be drawn into the hijinks and mishaps of the Dugan family. I found myself one moment laughing out loud, and the next, overcome with emotion. I’d compare these linked stories to those of George Saunders, Elizabeth Strout, or perhaps even Flannery O’Connor, if Parrish’s voice weren’t so clearly and wonderfully her own.” —Ross McMeekin, Editor, Spartan “Parrish knows the subtle movements of families in turmoil and the flailing attempts at love and peace. She takes you inside the homes of your neighbors, or of people like them, and she captures in fi ne detail their private, crippling agonies and their tiny, saving grace notes. Reading Our Love Could Light the World is like holding up a mirror—you see yourself, and then, if you look closely, you also see things you might otherwise have missed.” —Craig Lancaster, author of 600 Hours of Edward