The Lightning of Possible Storms

Winner of the 2021 Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction

Aleya’s world starts to unravel after a cafe customer leaves behind a collection of short stories. Surprised and disturbed to discover that it has been dedicated to her, Aleya delves into the strange book…

A mad scientist seeks to steal his son’s dreams. A struggling writer, skilled only at destruction, finds himself courted by Hollywood. A woman seeks to escape her body and live inside her dreams. Citizens panic when a new city block manifests out of nowhere. The personification of capitalism strives to impress his cutthroat boss.

The more Aleya reads, the deeper she sinks into the mysterious writer’s work, and the less real the world around her seems. Soon, she’s overwhelmed as a new, more terrifying existence takes hold.

The Lightning of Possible Storms blends humour and horror, doom and daylight, offering myriad possible storms.

Praise for Jonathan Ball:

Cheerfully horrifying, and full of the unexpected, The Lightning of Possible Storms is an entertaining Borgesian foray into the existential dread of writing itself. -Saleema Nawaz, author of Songs for the End of the World

This collection is so beautifully written and expertly composed-it is rich, layered, and complex. In every story, characters are forced to confront their secret, subterranean selves, their suppressed longings and anxieties, and the stories will linger with you long after you’ve finished them, much like the last strains of a beloved song. Witty, sad, sardonic, each story is its own masterpiece. This collection confirms Jonathan Ball as one of Canada’s very best writers. -Suzette Mayr, author of Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall