by Doris Betts
First published 1990
These nine stories move between the extraordinary and the mundane across the American South. A woman confronts an unexpected visitor who changes her understanding of family. A man discovers that his routine morning walk reveals secrets about his neighbors he never suspected. Children navigate the complex world of adults who seem to follow rules nobody explains. Each tale examines how people respond when life presents them with choices they never anticipated making. The characters range from eccentrics whose behavior puzzles everyone around them to regular folks dealing with universal problems of love, loss, and belonging. Some stories unfold in small towns where everyone knows each other's business, while others take place in cities where strangers cross paths briefly but meaningfully. The collection explores how Southern culture shapes the way people see themselves and treat each other, whether they embrace tradition or rebel against it. These voices reveal the humor and heartbreak that emerge when ordinary people face moments that test who they really are.
Genres: short-stories, american-fiction, 20th-century, american, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, ordinary-people
Setting: American South
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
Hardcover · Random House Value Publishing