A complex collection of intriguing stories. Collections of short stories are notorious for being uneven, sucking you in with the best stories early on and then scattering thinner offerings across most of the other pages.Having read Stones from the River and The Vision of Emma Blau, I knew Hegi is an astounding writer, grounded in interwoven stories that span decades and continents, linking them lightly from book to book. So I was dubious about her ability to compact a story into twenty pages. But, as in her longer tales, each character is carved into vivid detail with their actions and interactions, moving through their various challenges to some sense of completion within the short time frame. Each story grabbed and held me, bringing me to a sense of satisfying completion and wonderment of human possibilities.