When participants in a group-therapy session are asked to describe their first memories, long-buried demons and emotions flood out. It's a valuable exercise for everyone except the story's narrator.

The thirteen stories in Andrew Pyper's intense and artful short-story collection, Kiss Me, deal with the issues, sensibilities and intangible estrangements of contemporary youth. But there are no neat and tidy coming-of-age passages here: these are narratives about reaching out—and often failing to touch—one another in a time of both privilege and fracture.

HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.