Whos really telling this story? Thats the mystery at the heart of Danielle Memoires novel, which opens with a writer on stage at a public readinga public reading that isnt one, because she never reads a word, much to the audiences annoyance. When an audience member finally heckles her, the writers response sets off a chain reaction of nested stories that tumble one after another like a row of dominoes.

Each storyteller in the series (most are writers at public readings) builds on whats come before while often radically changing its meaning. Along the way, we encounter fatal stepladders, a painter obsessed with a transom window, a lovestruck dog-walker, and a lost cat restored to its owners through divine intervention. Playful, thought-provoking, and utterly unique, Public Reading Followed by Discussion defies classification and invites every reader to join the game.