Rona Altrows' short stories go to the core of what it is to be human - to cherish a departed mate beyond reason, to love a child to distraction, to keep the faith with a friend no matter what, to laugh in the face of self-doubt. This collection delivers a humorous yet poignant series of tales told from the perspectives of women. "Rona Altrows delivers keenly-observed tales with a serious kick. She draws her characters and their travails in beautifully controlled, precise strokes that render them arresting, haunting and immediate. This is fiction at its best, revealing fresh insights into a world we think we know. This is the real deal." - Ian Samuels "Rona Altrows writes about women with uncommon grace and honesty. In the tradition of Grace Paley, Altrows' stories capture deep philosophical issues within everyday physical details and events, often with a wry astuteness that made me want to laugh and cry and sit down with these people for a talk. No matter what her circumstance in life, each character in these stories shines with the dignity and beauty that come with compassionate observation. In a style that is at once spare and elegant, oral and physically palpable, Altrows pens stories that resonate far beyond the page." - Roberta Rees