The stories in this volume are incredibly well-written and moving -- Peter Baida was obviously a talented, caring writer. I was unfamiliar with him or with his work until I chanced upon this book on the 'recent fiction' shelf at the library -- I'm really glad I picked it up.

The stories here deal with people we might consider to be ordinary until we read about them. The love of his characters gives Baida the power to flesh them out fully, to make them whole -- to make us care about them. Mostly told as reflections on their pasts, they depict turning points -- times at which we are given a choice to make in our lives or in our actions. The characters don't always make the best choices -- as in real life, hindsight is much clearer that our 'real time' options -- but Baida passes no judgements upon them. He presents the facts of their lives and allows us to draw our own conclusions. Even those characters whose choices are poor -- even reprehensible -- are not without their redeeming qualities, rather like the human beings who populate this globe.

Baida's narrative powers are immense -- and his characters live and breathe on the pages before us. The title story in this collection was the first-prize recipient of the 1999 O. Henry Award -- and well-deserved. It's a shame that Baida died shortly after receiving this honor. We can only imagine what literary gifts he would have given us since then -- but this volume is a fine testament to his wonderful talent.