Lighter Side

Everyday life regularly hands us awkward moments that leave us irritated or furious. Susanna tends to look for the humorous side of things, and in her view any experience, whether happy or painful, can become material for a story. Her readers will notice how often that happens.

The pieces in this collection range from funny to deeply moving, each one a response to the small setbacks that life throws up. A recurring thread follows her husband through a terminal illness. In her telling, cancer strikes without warning or courtesy. It is relentless, indifferent to feelings, and takes control in the end. Despite Susanna's determined efforts to prolong his life, the illness prevailed.

Her title draws on the Greek myth of Pandora's container of troubles, suggesting that experience can be a treasure trove of delights, as Pandora hoped, or a swarm of moths. Susanna presents her stories as an assortment of sweets to share with friends, with many different flavours inside.

Readers often tell her how each tale affected them, and Susanna finds it endlessly interesting how differently people react. It is a reminder that we each meet life's events in our own way.