SHORT STORIES. A girl with a crippling pea-phobia, a woman driven to murderous rage in an Anger Management Workshop, a wife torn between her dashing artist-lover and her uptight accountant-husband - these are some of the characters in Wendy Perriam's fifth short-story collection. Whatever the scenario, Perriam is alive to the raw emotion and underlying drama in even the most limited of lives, combining the daily dilemmas of personal relationships with a deeper exploration of psychological complexities.Many of the stories focus on some triumph or trauma of the human heart. Haunting and humorous by turns, this new collection depicts that a world of happiness and heartache lie perilously close. Contentes: Little marvel Germans Thirty-nine Birth-rage Charlotte Elizabeth Heart's desire Sacred heart Treasure hunt Indonesians Heart-break Dolce vita Worms Mystery prize Peacocks.