Today Is Not Your Day — Marian Thurm

With her fourth collection, acclaimed short story writer Marian Thurm brings her darkly comic sense of humor to a memorable set of new characters -- every one of whom is brought to vivid life under her sharply observant but always compassionate gaze. A divorcée is hit on by her philandering ex whose new wife is stricken with cancer. An untimely shattered knee complicates a man's decision to dump his fiancée. A grieving widow is burdened by her daughter's relationship troubles. A teenaged cancer survivor convinces her friends to go on a quest in search of her older crush. A Jewish man is shocked by his Catholic girlfriend's reaction to visiting Auschwitz. Today is Not Your Day is Thurm at her best, capturing those breathtaking moments where life upends but also becomes painfully clear.