A girl on a paper round gets more than she bargained for. A couple feels the strain when the money runs out. Life plays out in the call centre, the bingo hall and at the bus stop. Vicki Jarretts debut collection -- reissued here with the bonus story Up Dog Down Dog -- is a deftly observed insight into the lives of people just trying to get by. Jarrett, whose first novel, Nothing is Heavy, was shortlisted for Scottish First Book of the Year, is drawn to the absurdity of everyday life. The characters in THE WAY OUT dream of escape from jobs, relationships and disappointments, yet these darker tones are finely balanced by a natural lightness of touch. These stories are at once heart-breaking, tender, devastatingly honest and brimming with black comedy.

The Deep Sea chippy and the Fantasy Island bar face each other across the neon glow of Junction Street. Beth shovels chips on one side and Amber spins naked around a pole on the other. Their work is mundane and predictable, each night much like any other, until a sudden, dramatic death forces them to choose between relative safety and risk.