An old man is suddenly able to curse to death those who annoy him. An English-speaking thief has long conversations with his tied-up victims. A forensic accountant becomes obsessed with bringing down dodgy start-ups. An online troll suspects he is going to be shot dead for his political views.

The stories in Ruffled Feathers attend to men and women making their way through a grim world filled with sharp corners. But they do so with deep tenderness and wry amusement, exquisitely balancing absurdity with pathos.