Paths to Sunset — Craig Brown

If advancing years bestow a welcome freedom, opening a golden pathway to the sunset of our lives, they also expose us to the risks of illness, accident and bereavement. In these stories, love and laughter collide with sadness, mischance and, sometimes, the stark finality of death. More than twenty memorable characters occupy a world where smiles and tears are never far apart, in scenes constantly reminding us that old age is both beautiful and dangerous... neighbours organise a race on their mobility scooters, an escapade that does not turn out as planned... Thelma, recently widowed, takes a desperately sad walk on the pier with a well-meaning friend... a school reunion brings out the juvenile worst in former classmates... an ageing pianist wearily confronts his last concert. Here are 14 tales to gladden, and sadden, the heart.