Beautifully crafted by a prize winning author, these wonderful stories resonate with humanity – its subtleties, omissions, follies and frailties. This is a powerful Australian voice, adept at creating a lattice of the unsaid. The characters have experiences we can connect to, drawing us to see beyond the surface.Acutely observed settings and juxtapositions reveal the complexity of life. A boy builds a model solar system while his world falls apart; a reviled outcast searches for a Christmas gift; a young constable confronts ugliness in a beautiful landscape. Thieves, farmers, prison guards, real estate agents, factory workers, surfers, storm-drenched characters in a tinny - human hearts behind the mask and the uniform.J. S. Scholz’s writing has won many prestigious awards, and been published as far afield as Norway. Now, a unique selection of his stories is gathered here - small islands in a big sea.