Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One brings together nine previously published stories hand selected to best represent the darkness prevalent in much of Caleb J. Ross’ fiction. Deformities, parenthood, childhood, each treated with literary integrity, come together to map the visceral, gut-wrenching side of family life.Ross’ obsession with the domestic grotesque is represented here in full, ranging from his very first published story (Petty Injuries) to his most recent (as of the publication of Murmurs) Click-Clack, a story that appears in Warmed and Bound: a Velvet Anthology. Packed within Murmurs is a story of a mother who hopes for a kidnapper to take her disabled child away (Legs Unwilling), a vampire origins story where sucking blood turns out to be less painful than a broken home (Born Again Michael), and even a story rooted in Ross’ real life wherein a group of young boys play a game that involves running in front of oncoming traffic at night (Car Dodging).Ross’ work has been compared to that of Chuck Palahniuk, Darren Aronofsky, Kurt Vonnegut, Dave Eggers, and Sherman Alexie. The influence of each resonates in Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One.