The House by the Lake: and other stories

Jacky, in the title story of this collection, is a young descendant of pioneers and is curious about her ancestors. Jacky returns to her home town and is fascinated by the mix of characters who have settled there who are outsiders, like herself and like her ancestors so long ago who were uprooted from Scotland. It is inspired by the author's own ancestral quest. The other stories are fictionalised from a mix of dramatic stories told to the author, such as 'The Spanish Wedding', about a lovers' triangle. The story 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire' is about a struggling, divorced mother who inherits what turns out to be a maelstrom of wealth that brings out the evil in people around her. 'Goodbye to Doll's Houses' is about sinister drug networks in social welfare housing that ensnare vulnerable young women. 'The Immigrants', based on a true story, is about the deadly threats immigrants, such as Irish Rosen in the story, may experience. The final three stories are true, as told to the author, such as 'Anna's Escape From Europe' about her harrowing experiences during World War II. 'The Jar in the Chimney' is Adriana K. Wood's mother's story about running away, as a poor, teenaged orphan, from Belfast, Ireland, to New Zealand.