Passing Guest. Stories on Love, Kindness and Hope

Would you have a conversation about love with a random stranger if you had the chance? Have you ever wondered what they would tell you?

In this collection of short stories, Iris Mir imagines what the futures of random bystanders on the streets would look like if they had the chance to experience love in a new way; one of compassion and kindness toward others. With this in mind, she writes their dreamed stories honouring their experience, their voice and the reason their hypothetical love-experience would matter to our communities.

Their imaginary stories become a reminder of the importance of many small human acts of kindness that are integral to our survival, and are being eroded as a result of our increasingly fragmented and polarised societies. Passing Guest takes the form of a set of fictional short stories led by an imaginary character, a woman, who embodies eight enigmas of love, kindness and hope. She sets herself on a quest that takes her to Hong Kong, South Korea, North Korea and neighbouring mainland China, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Uganda, Senegal, and the cities of London and Barcelona.

As she tries to find her answers, she transports herself to different universes, possibilities of being and seeing, and ultimately of finding love. Soon she discovers that who she is (and who we are) can only be answered by the magic of love, which is as beautifully unique as every single one of us who makes up our diverse humanity.