The Color Master

In this collection, Bender’s unique talents sparkle brilliantly in stories about people searching for connection through love, sex and family – while navigating the often painful realities of their lives. A woman plays out a prostitution fantasy with her husband in ‘The Red Ribbon’ and finds she cannot go back to her old sex life. An ugly woman marries an ogre in ‘The Devouring’ and struggles to decide if she should stay with him after he mistakenly eats their children. ‘Tiger Mending’ follows two sisters who travel deep into Malaysia where one learns the art of mending tigers who have been ripped to shreds, and in the title story, 'The Color Master', a company of tailors endeavour to capture the colours of the sun, moon and sky.

Evocative, funny, sad and beautifully written, The Color Master cements Aimee Bender’s reputation as one of the most imaginative and exciting writers of our time.