Spotlight: Only Human by Kristine Scarrow
/
Only Human by Kristine Scarrow is a thought-provoking collection of eleven short stories that explore how ordinary people respond when life pushes them to their limits. Each story reveals the quiet struggles beneath everyday life—careers that falter, relationships that fracture, and moments of loss or discovery that change everything.
Set in Saskatchewan, Canada, these contemporary tales balance humour, heartbreak, and honesty as characters confront aging, illness, trauma, gender roles, and the pull between what’s right and what’s necessary. Scarrow’s writing captures the raw truth of being human, showing how small choices can lead to unexpected consequences.
Only Human invites readers to reflect on their own lives and ask: What would I do in the same situation? Relatable and emotionally resonant, this collection is for anyone drawn to stories about the moral and emotional struggles that define us all.
Excerpt
From the short story “Crash”
Joel and Brad were on the last twelve-hour night shift of their four-day rotation on the ambulance when the call came in. Brad was driving, something he insisted on, despite Joel’s opinion that he was a terrible driver. It was always Brad’s way. He’d made it clear on their first day as partners that he wasn’t about to start listening to some punk kid new to the job—even though Joel had been a paramedic for ten years. They’d been working together for only four months and already Joel was ready for a partner change.
“Open road, no witnesses. Drunk driver?” Brad said aloud. “Kids racing?”
Joel didn’t answer. If he took a guess about it, Brad would rib him all night if he got it wrong. He was like that. Joel rubbed his eyes and stared at the inky sky as they drove. It was three in the morning. His stomach gnawed at him—this was the third shift in a row that they’d been too busy to get a lunch break. He’d been counting down the hours until the end of shift, eager to collapse into his bed away from the dark recesses of the world. An accident like this might put them into overtime. Joel hoped another unit made it to the scene before them; with any luck, they’d be diverted before they got there.
“Shit,” Brad muttered as they approached the accident. There were no other ambulances there. Just police and fire—the lights from their response vehicles illuminating the road and surrounding embankments in red and blue. “We’re the first ones.”
Joel shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Realizing he’d been thinking the same thoughts as Brad felt like a poison on his tongue. No way did Joel want to be a washed-up cynic like him. Brad steered them closer and the two of them pulled on their gloves before exiting the ambulance.
“What do we have here?” Brad strode into the middle of the scene as though he expected crowds to part for him. Joel had initially pegged it as confidence but had since deemed it arrogance. Joel carried the jump kit, as always, and approached the scene with his eyes first.
Snowflakes dripped from the sky in sheets of white crystal, disappearing once they made impact with the grey pavement. The air was crisp and still, almost eerie. That’s what Joel really noticed—how quiet it was. His eyes surveyed the accident, the two vehicles almost unrecognizable—a white minivan and what looked like a silver luxury vehicle—what model, Joel couldn’t tell. It looked like God had put the two vehicles in His hands and shaken them like dice, pieces strewn across the road in a gut-wrenching puzzle.
Buy Amazon | Bookshop.org
About the Author
Kristine Scarrow is the author of four young adult novels: Throwaway Girl (2014), If This Is Home (2016), The 11th Hour (2018), and The Gamer’s Guide to Getting the Girl (2019) all published by Dundurn Press. Her fiction has been shortlisted or won numerous awards.
Her short fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry have appeared in several publications. She has also served as an editor for book-length manuscripts and has served as a mentor through The Writers’ Union of Canada and the MFA in Writing program at the University of Saskatchewan, where she also holds an MFA in Writing.
She has worked as a five-year hospital writer-in-residence and has served as writer-in-residence in 2022-2023 for the Saskatoon Public Library. She also teaches creative writing and communication classes at the post-secondary level.
Kristine has spent several years researching the power of creativity and art in our lives, specifically how engaging in the arts can be a therapeutic and enriching experience. With a special interest in writing as a healing art, she offers a safe, gentle approach to writing and wants others to discover how writing can be a useful tool to help heal and grow.
