No one ever knew the cause of the deadly flood that hit St Ann's, Trinidad in 1993 - no one, that is, until a frightened boy named Jabari came stumbling out of the St Ann's hills with a legend given to him by Papa Bois, the king of the forest. Rescued from the clutches of Mama Dlo, the anaconda who is queen of the rivers, Jabari was given the task of telling people the real story of the flood.

The beloved story collection from the New York Times-bestselling author of The Vacationers, All Adults Here and This Time Tomorrow In Other People We Married, Straub creates characters as recognizable as a best friend, and follows them through moments of triumph and transformation with wit, vulnerability, and dazzling insight. In “Some People Must Really Fall in Love,” an assistant professor takes halting steps into the awkward world of office politics while harboring feelings for a freshman student. Two sisters struggle with old assumptions about each other as they stumble to build a new relationship in “A Map of Modern Palm Springs.” In “Puttanesca,” two widows move tentatively forward, still surrounded by ghosts and disappointments from the past. These twelve stories, filled with sharp humor, emotional acuity, and joyful language, announce the arrival of a major new talent.

"Originally published in French in 2016 by Seuil, France, as Historie de la violence"--Title page verso.