Links: A Collection of Short Stories

by Kaylia M. Metcalfe

Discover what connects people and also what keeps them apart in this dazzling collection of short stories. A mother struggles to forge a connection with a daughter she lost years ago, a couple tries to battle the emptiness and frustration of a lonely marriage, while others remain focused on enjoying the sweet, sexual coming of age. These are just a few glimpses of the successes, failures and hopes that connect everyone. Travel deep into the hearts and minds of the regular people who embody contemporary culture and remember what it means to be human, to be linked. While the characters within each story do not know each other, their common desire to find meaning in life reverberates throughout the story lines, connecting each tale with themes of loss, change and forgiveness. Join an extraordinary cast of characters as they weave together a chain that will leave you thinking of what it means to be human, what makes us different and what brings us together in A Collection of Short Stories .

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2009

About the author

Kaylia credits her life long passion for reading and writing to her parents. She wrote her first short story in third grade and was an active participant and award winner in numerous reading programs as a child. By the time she was ten, she knew she wanted to be a writer.

Kaylia grew up in the Silicon Valley (CA) where she attended high school and junior college. She contributed to a few poetry anthologies and studied writing for film and television. In 2005, she graduated with honors from Sacramento State University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. In 2018 she received a Certificate of Copyediting from UC Santa Barbara.

Currently, Kaylia lives in Fresno with her family where she runs a book club, co-hosts the Pages and Popcorn Podcast, and is writing both another short story collection and a novel! She also does freelance consulting and copyediting.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really impressed with how well-crafted these stories are. As a good short story should, these show the reader vivid snapshots of the lives of the characters. Like a gourmet tasting menu, Links provides bite-sized samples of complex flavors of people and life, which are emotionally resonant, and authentic. I especially like the element of discovery and surprise that Ms. Metcalfe brings to her stories. I found myself starting a story and assuming that one thing was going on, only to find myself revising hypothesis about who the characters are and what they are up to, sometimes several times in each story. It was an interesting and fresh journey to go on, where my assumptions were challenged. I also appreciated the diversity of characters the author cooks up. I am amazed at the fact that she is able to bring so many different kinds of people to life, and have them seem exactly right. To have such a wide variety of characters and situations ring true in such a short amount of time is very refreshing. These stories are gems. Pick up a copy of Links, and enjoy some really good writing.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Links is a delightful collection of short stories, each exploring the bonds between individuals as they battle to find connections in the modern world of the San Francisco Bay Area. The setting is brought to life with mundanities: cars, grocery shopping, office jobs. In the midst of this, a mother struggles with her long-lost daughter's painful life choice, a man struggles to save a woman he doesn't know, A restless older woman and a college age man both seek something more than sex in their monotonous lives. A dystopian adventure finishes the collection as a woman contracted to be a Wife longs only for a glimpse of the stars. The author shows real insight into people's day to day struggles as they attempt to change themselves and find a glimmer of happiness.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a great idea to create several short stories that all had a theme of "connection" and all the stories were well written. I just didn't care for the stories as much as I wanted to.

[Andrea Blythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story stories in Links look at the way humans long for connection in the world and often fail to achieve that connection through bad luck or personal flaws. Most of the stories are good with sparse, clean prose. Though there were two with endings so bleak, I hated them).

Since I like to focus on the positive, here are the four I liked most.

"Angel" was a surprising and powerful story about a young man who spends his free time time begging for change he doesn't need. The story shocked me the way brought to people together in a moment of collision.

In "Aside" an estranged mother and daughter try to find connection during a car ride is a simple tale, presenting lovely character sketches. Wonderfully bitter sweet.

"Surface Dweller" is about a woman who goes home with an art student to see her art and have a one night stand. But it turns out the art student keeps a frightening secret hidden in her bedroom. A subtly fantastical tale.

"Wife" is one of two speculative tales in the collection, presenting a women is trying to fit into her assigned role as new Wife despite past sorrows. Though, it's presents a bleak society with little to no freedom, the story manages to be subtly hopeful.