They Tried Their Best

They Tried Their Best is a wildly sharp, emotionally layered novella about one woman’s reluctant journey through a collapsing world, bad dates, worse bosses, and the quiet triumph of choosing herself. Our unnamed narrator is a deeply relatable, darkly funny thirty-something who just wants chips, her dogs, and maybe if the universe allows it a real, meaningful connection. But when everything from her love life to global politics begins to unravel, she does the only rational thing: builds a bunker. As humanity spirals toward its inevitable end, she’s forced to confront what she actually wants from life and whether survival means living for herself or still hoping to be chosen by someone else. With biting social commentary, unexpected tenderness, and surreal twists, this novella explores what it means to be loved, to be lonely, and to matter in a world that’s increasingly falling apart.

©2025 Kimlyn Stanyon (P)2025 Kimlyn Stanyon