The withdrawal method, a.k.a. coitus interruptus, is an ineffective method of birth control, whereby the male pulls out of the female body prior to ejaculation. The method takes timing and self-control, qualities shared with Torontonian Pasha Malla’s short-story collection of the same name. The 13 stories by the recent winner of the Danuta Gleed and Trillium Award show a mastery of narrative temporality and an impressive restraint. What Malla leaves out is just as essential as what he leaves in.

Taken less literally, the title refers to Malla’s characters and how they withdraw from the world: girls playing a disturbing game of make-believe on a snow day, a former daycare worker escaping rumours and reputation to be a pet therapy aide, a dad with a hero-complex clotheslined on his bike. These characters, purposefully and accidentally, disengage, creating the tension and theme of the collection.

While the stories are often heartbreaking, they are full of witty dialogue and humorous detail that creates an emotional balance. Similar to Lorrie Moore, Malla’s portrayal of relationships gone sour, such as in “The Slough” and “Respite,” are full of the kinds of minutiae only noticed by people in love.

From an automaton maker in Vienna in the 18th century to a terrifying future Niagara Falls, this diverse collection is more than just contemporary love stories. Malla’s characters, in particular the children, are rendered beautifully. A nine-year-old girl with OCD in “Pushing Oceans In and Pulling Oceans Out,” celebrates Easter with her father and brother. An eccentric boy who is afraid of rabid squirrels in “The Past Composed,” adopts a couple of lonely siblings. An immigrant child is bullied, then becomes a bully himself in “Long Short Short Long.”

The stories often have two narratives that follow one character in different directions. The similar structure engenders a monotonous feel to the collection when read front-to-back, however, short story collections are not necessarily meant to be read sequentially, and this minor flaw does not interfere with this collection’s quality.

With a novel coming out next year, regular contributions to McSweeney’s and The Walrus, and awards piling up for this collection, Malla is an author to be watched. Each story in this collection is a pleasure to read, allowing the reader a glimpse into a person, a time and a place that would otherwise pass by without notice.