No Call Too Small

“Martens’ work would be impressive in any era, but it is particularly timely today. It is wonderful to come upon an author who faces into the horrific absurdities of modern life without flinching, a stylist who delivers his most powerful satiric points with laser sharp accuracy and lyrically beautiful language."—Vancouver Sun“Haunting, darkly funny situations, captured in crisp, spare prose, will appeal to fans of George Saunders.”—Publishers WeeklyBy the end of the day, a cop must choose between ethics and social death. A camp counsellor, stuck deep in the woods with a small group of boys, only has a few hours before the DTs kick in. Adult children scramble to get the best of what remains of their mother's estate, but funeral plans may be premature. Sandwiched between a depressed mother and a careless father, a young girl must help attract customers to the family business, no matter the cost.The stories in No Call Too Small represent micro-scale disaster tourism on a winding road that is long and dark. Driving too fast, weaving between flaming wrecks, and drifting through cliff-side curves, there's little choice but to hang on and meet whatever's over the rise head on.“Marten’s strong prose is a pleasure to read, with dark humour and lively storytelling that brings a quirky humanity to his characters.”—Janie Chang, Globe and Mail bestselling author of Dragon Springs Road“A beautifully crafted collection.”—Marcia Butler, author of Pickle’s ProgressReview Quote“Martens’s striking, perceptive collection illuminates a range of Canadians in moments of bad luck and dissatisfaction. His haunting, darkly funny situations, captured in crisp, spare prose, will appeal to fans of George Saunders.”—Publishers WeeklyReview Quote“Oscar Martens’s characters hurtle their way toward potential disaster or redemption in these vivid stories of lives burdened by misunderstandings and disappointment, usually self-inflicted. Martens’s strong prose is a pleasure to read, with dark humour and lively storytelling that brings a quirky humanity to his characters.”—Janie Chang, Globe and Mail bestselling author of Dragon Springs RoadReview Quote“Oscar Martens is the twitchy love child of Tom Waits, Charles Bukowski and Ricky Gervais. These stories are lean, and loaded, and devastatingly true. In just a few pages, Martens throws his readers into the deep end of a swimming pool swarming with sharks, or piranhas, or hungry polar bears – and you, dear reader, have a flesh wound. These short stories read like brilliant, poignant novels. Highly recommended.”—Thomas Trofimuk, author of Waiting for ColumbusBiographical NoteOscar Martens has been publishing stories and poems since George Michael carelessly whispered, and believes an entire world can fit inside a fifteen minute story. Many of them have been nominated for notable awards and published in journals such as The Journey Prize Stories, Prairie Fire, Queen's Quarterly, Quarry, The Malahat Review, Event, and Grain. Oscar lives with his wife in Burnaby, BC, Canada. Learn more about Oscar and his work at oscarmartens.com