NOT THE END OF THE WORLD consists of twelve linked stories which form a thematic whole. This is Kate Atkinson's first collection of stories, and they are brilliant, daring, witty and provocative. These stories are full of the poignancy of abandoned children and lonely adults, the seductiveness of our consumer society, and the fatalism of a post-Apocalyptic world. From Charlene and Trudi, madly shopping while bombs explode softly in the world outside, to gormless Eddie, a cataloguer of fish, and Meredith Zane who discovered the secret to eternal life, each story contains a cast of startling and wonderfully described characters. What each of them explores is the infinite variety of ways in which people can try to change the world around them, and themselves.