Any novel in the form of short stories about the life of a small American town probably invites comparison to Winesburg, Ohio. In Stygo's case, the comparison is not all that apt: Stygo is not a sleepy town full of quiet desperation, but a desperate town in its own right. No main character emerges from the novel or leaves at the end (in fact, the only young man we know to have struck out from town is a spree-killer.) It's its own book.

What I enjoyed most about the book was the way it spiraled outward, each story bringing the reader farther into the margins of town, farther from the apparent heart of the community. By the time the chapters come back to the center, back to the bar and Willa Moon, it's clear that neither a place nor a person is the center of this community, but rather an unanswered need, a void.

My favorite stories in this volume were those of teen and tween girls, especially "Corsage" and "Calliope." Hendrie does a great job with these lives and voices, on the edge of self-consciousness and the edge of transformation. Individual stories in the book may end too easily or too pat, but the images and people stick with you, and it's an engaging read. Push on beyond the establishing shot of the first story, and you'll be well-rewarded. ( )