The Slip

by Miriam Webster

These are stories about the things we can’t hold onto: a marriage drifting out with the tide, a family collapsing like a wave, a young woman’s affair that dissolves as quickly as it ignites.

From Melbourne to regional Victoria and beyond, lovers flounder in the push and pull of desire, and families are caught between duty and disarray. A restless couple are visited by an old flame, a washed-up playwright faces his demons and a woman returns to her childhood home to confront her twin brother’s ghost.

Elsewhere, a one night stand takes a sinister turn, an intoxicated eel writhes its way to the sea and a grieving gardener finds solace in the dirt beneath his nails. Brimming with dark humour, empathy and a sharp eye for the uncanny, this is an electrifying debut from an original new voice.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Short Story Collection

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2025

About the author

Miriam Webster’s fiction and essays have been published in Aniko Magazine, HEAT, Island, Overland, The Suburban Review, swim meet lit mag and certain zines. She is a Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellow and her work has been recognised in major prizes including the Calibre Essay Prize, the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize, the Olga Masters Short Story Award and the inaugural KYD Nonfiction Essay Prize. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne. The Slip is her first book.

Reviews

[Raquel Gazzola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild, weird and wonderful. I need more!

[Zoe Sounness · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has absolutely no business being this good - devoured it within a day

[Sagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first five stories are flawless

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an amazing debut collection!! Loved every story in this collection, which is unusual!

[perth ratbag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each of these stories are individually fine. The author is clearly interested in writing about taboo topics in a way that most writers in their twenties like to. However, there's no clincher that warrants the sum of these stories as a collection.

[Patricia Gardiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book, though some of the stories momentarily caused reflection on the human condition...nothing uplifting. It's wonderful that an opinion on a book is so subjective; for me, this definitely didn't hit any mark.

[Frida Dichtl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good!! There were some stories I really liked and others that didn’t appeal to me as much. 3.5

[BEN PHILLIPS · Rating 4 out of 5]

An invigorating collection of raw and challenging reflections and observations on the complexity and absurdity of life.

[emily faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Kristy (sometimes_i_read_books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Bridget Wallis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo brilliant. Funny, nostalgic, heartbreaking, shocking at times????, beautiful, and tender. Loved it

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem 💎

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great collection!

[Chris Chu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really interesting collection of short stories. It’s wacky, sexy, spicy, full of characters and energy. I enjoyed reading it a lot.
I think my favorite story is A Woman, a Man and Another. It’s just so brilliant, reminds me of Sally Rooney really. Really like how Miriam Webster writes the psychological aspect of people throughout all the stories. The eel one is so innovative and unexpected and such a joy to piece all the threads together. I also like The Martini Effect and Brink Man quite a lot, both provide the tension and really keep you going, making you turn the page on. Farrow is also good, albeit a bit gross :)
I think it’s fair to say that the stories are weird, hot and really sexy. Thank you to the review note in Readings Carlton.
There are some stories I don’t really get, and some parts are just too explicit for me to like, but overall it’s a brilliant debut and would keep an eye on her future works!

Btw I only found out after buying it at Readings that this is the first book published by this publisher, Aniko Press. How amazing!

[Mathew B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth adding to your “TO READ” list.

Favourite story was the whale watching tale. Which follows a wife, who’s feeling disconnected from her partner, and her mother-in-law bickering about mutual disdain related to people in their lives. As the story goes on, this foreign partnership forms and the two, once very differing people, realise they have like minded views and an unlikely friendship forms.

I loved all the short stories in this book. Some were horrible, and sinister, but honestly it was so hard to put this book down!

[Daniel Bickle-Lazarow · Rating 4 out of 5]

glimmer was amazing, and I think im rachel. not sure about the eel one. great work mim

[Chanel Chapters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get that good shit any way you can

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.

[Monica Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh my cod

[lily belden · Rating 4 out of 5]

“the
river in this
city is narcotic
bliss
and all the
eels are fucking
getting high.”

i thought this was a fantastic collection, loved it.

[Tazman Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty shit stories not sure why the reviews are good

[Ruby Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yessss love short stories love aussies loved this