"A collection of ten stories about people under siege: families broken on the rack of abuse and alcohol, unwanted children, lovesick and lonesome women, poverty-stricken poets. Stories set in the unswept corners of the city: whorehouses, reform schools, the washrooms of bus depots, unheated apartments, underground garages and subway stations. The world just beyond the margin of these pages is heavy with raging wars, starvation, and injustice. Yet Dandurand's characters are not victims. Under siege, yes, but not conquered; down, certainly, but not out. In fact, they are very much alive. And kicking. Resisting with every breath, and with all the cunning and cruelty they can muster. In the individual and daily battle with pitiless and unthinking gods, these small souls deploy an arsenal of dreams. Dandurand's encyclopedia of strategy and tactics of quotidian resistance includes everything from an invisible dog companion named Paradox and a closet full of imaginary voyages, to a love potion. And, finally, the ultimate weapon: the power of a well-turned phrase."--BOOK JACKET.