The Unshatterables - by Miranda Faye Dillon (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"Miranda Dillon has mastered the art of dialogue. . . . I am hooked!" -Bob Kunzinger, author of The Iron Star: A Father and Son in Siberia and A Third Place: Notes in Nature

"Miranda writes from a truthful and honest place, connecting us right where we're meant to live . . . the heart." -Don Andreasen, writer, adjunct associate professor at Pratt Institute

"Miranda Faye Dillon has accomplished a very rare thing: to look unflinchingly at loss and pain without losing sight of the redemptive value of compassion and love." -Max Ludington, author of Thorn Tree and Tiger in a Trance

Some people refuse to break.

A closeted gay man befriends an escort. A widower still saves a seat for his wife at sunset. A woman grapples with the aftermath of childbirth. Teenage enemies come together in a ghostly way. Two young women fall in love in a bustling city. Told through a series of short stories, The Unshatterables unpacks trauma, hope, and healing in immersive snippets of humanity and the love that binds us. Unfolding in multiple timelines, in this diverse series of love stories-romantic, platonic, and familial-devotion, affection, growth, and recovery triumph over the many pitfalls of life. True love, in any form, endures. It is unshatterable.

Review Quotes

"The Unshatterables is a moving collection of short stories by Miranda Faye Dillon, each one dancing the porous line between loss and hope, bereavement and release, isolation and interconnection. Whether exploring a young female escort's pursuit of catharsis through a closeted gay friend's pain, the solitary existence of a widower's determined self-sufficiency, or multiple timelines of the pivotal choices we make in relationships, the internal lives of Dillon's characters are beautifully rendered in the moments she has chosen to illuminate in their stories. This collection delves deep, reminding us of the ways in which the loved ones we lose never truly leave us behind, nor do we ever truly abandon them. A terrific first book from a gifted writer."-Maria Jacquemetton, Emmy award-winning television writer and producer

"In this beautiful book, Miranda Faye Dillon has accomplished a very rare thing: to look unflinchingly at loss and pain without losing sight of the redemptive value of compassion and love. The stories in The Unshatterables feel somehow essential." -Max Ludington, author of Thorn Tree and Tiger in a Trance

"Like reaching into a bag of delights, Miranda Faye Dillon's story collection, The Unshatterables, offers a reader wide wonder, revealing heartaches and the distinct possibility of hope." -Samantha Hunt, author of The Unwritten Book and The Seas

"The Unshatterables is all at once wistful and humorous. Miranda writes from a truthful and honest place, connecting us right where we're meant to live . . . the heart. Each story is a combination of touching, sweet, tender, and funny. The characters are quite unique, and we're taken on an incredible journey every time. Miranda also expertly crafts the stories in a most creative, delightful, and ultimately satisfying way. Treat yourself to this book." -Don Andreasen, writer, adjunct associate professor at Pratt Institute

"Dillon has a unique and brilliant ability to embed us deeply into the lives of her characters, making us cheer for them, cry with them, or begin to heal ourselves alongside them . . . only to turn our hearts around as she offers a completely different perspective on the lives of those same characters. Dillon's artfully crafted creative shifts in the narrative demonstrate how tenuous our reality is, causing us to be introspective about how our simplest interactions impact those around us." -Angela Parsons, educator/administrator, VBCPS

"In a literary world of endless narration, Miranda Dillon has mastered the art of dialogue, revealing characters as they are-as we are-in all of their sorrow and pain. The stories in The Unshatterables unearth emotions that span the spectrum from denial to recovery, all the while keeping us wanting to know these people, spend more time with them. I am hooked!" -Bob Kunzinger, author of The Iron Star: A Father and Son in Siberia and A Third Place: Notes in Nature

"The Unshatterables is a luminous collection of short stories that weaves through the hearts and minds of many as its characters and readers alike attempt to navigate the labyrinth of life. Miranda Faye Dillon captures the complexities of the human experience in a unique voice, providing the comfort of relatability, resilience, and representation." -Sam Maurer, engineer and artist, @sam.i.art