Using his unflinching creative gaze, Tony Birch ponders love, loss, and faith in this short story collection. A trio of amateur thieves is left in charge of a baby moments before a heist. A group of boys compete in the final of a marbles tournament, only to find their biggest challenge was the opponent they didn’t see coming. Two young friends find a submerged car in their local swimming hole and become obsessed by the mystery of the driver’s identity. Across 12 blistering stories, The Promise delivers a sensitive and often humorous take on the lives of those who have loved, lost, and wandered.

Tony Birch is the author of the short story collection Father’s Day and the novels Shadowboxing and Blood, which was short-listed for the 2012 Miles Franklin Award. He is a frequent contributor to ABC local and national radio and a regular guest at writers’ festivals. He teaches in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne.