Everyone But Us
tales of women
A marine biologist is stranded in the Arizona desert. A troubled beauty travels the world in search of an elusive identity. A concert pianist is torn from her profession. A worn circus performer executes her ultimate trick. Meet these characters and more in this engaging and diverse collection of seventeen stories by V.S. Kemanis, an author whose “insight into human behavior” is “truly unusual” [The Kindle Book Review].
The women in these pages, young and old, are everyday people experiencing joys and sorrows, facing personal challenges and moral dilemmas. Their personalities and relationships will amuse and enlighten you, as each woman discovers her boundaries, occasionally transcends them, but always reaches for something more.
Beautifully and artistically told, these stories and their wonderfully rendered characters will stay with you long after closing the cover of Everyone But Us.
Nominee, The Kindle Book Review Awards 2013
2022 E-Book Edition now available on Kindle Unlimited.
The applause comes to me like a distant gust of wind high in the trees, something that won’t ruffle my aspect or disturb my purpose. I sit and adjust myself on the bench, lift my hands above the keys and wait for my cue, his voice saying, “Now.”
—from Pianissimo, Fortissimo
She removed her hand from the rifle and hitched up her silver buckle, shaking the inhabitants of her belt: a dozen or more rattler tails, some near dust, others fresh kill. Roy’s head chased words, finding none; he didn’t have much use for them.
She was the first to speak. “Goin’ east?” Not an invitation, but a warning.
—from Cactus Flower
We never go home as long as we can. What do I want to see my mom for anyway? I say that a lot to Sissy almost to make her feel better because she doesn’t have a mom.
—from Sissy and Me
Eyeing her bag, he said, “We’re coming right back. We’ll get help at a service station.”
Gaylie could say nothing in defense. Her instincts were valid, another instinct told her.
—from Everyone But Us