19 Knives is a series of short stories with characters ranging from the obsessive to the desperate to the wildly comic. 19 Knives is a story recounting how a recovering heroin addict’s son OD’s on his dad’s methadone. A man badly burned in a propane-fuelled camper fire tries to cope with his mangled body and life in the story Burn Man On A Texas Porch. In the monologue, Song From Under The Floorboards, a car mechanic obsesses over a schoolmate’s suicide after the fact. In Skin A Flea For Hide And Tallon, a low-ranking soldier in Custer’s last stand fantasizes about killing Custer and gets his wish. Jarman’s dazzling and unique use of language puts us inside the character’s skin allowing us to feel both their frailty and courage.