Without: Stories of Lack and Longing

What’s missing in your life? What keeps you up at night? What will make you happy? What will make you whole? These are the things that the stories in Without explore. Lack, a companion to all, reveals itself in different ways in these fifteen tales, offering glimpses into how we live without the things we want, need, or think we ought to have. Through the eyes of characters from across the world, Without brings you into lives where contentment is just out of reach. The stories include a young girl discovering the meaning of compassion while visiting her grandfather’s grave, an encounter between two strangers on the Athens Metro revealing different takes on the migrant crisis, a Canadian couple reassessing their life after an unwelcome visitor, a solitary sonographer awakening to denied desires through noisy neighbours, and a Hong Kong advertising man giving up more than he planned for the next big slogan. Other stories explore themes like walking through fears by the sea, loving and letting go, or the presence of intangible needs such as courage, liberty, or imagination. These tales portray life in various colors for those experiencing lack or longing.