First published 1995
In this collection of interconnected tales, ordinary people navigate the wreckage of broken relationships and family upheaval. A father watches his marriage crumble while trying to protect his children from the fallout. A woman sorts through the belongings of a deceased spouse, discovering secrets that reshape her understanding of their life together. Lonely individuals reach across the void of isolation, seeking connection in unexpected places. Each character grapples with the weight of loss while clinging to whatever fragments of love remain within reach. Busch places his protagonists in moments of quiet crisis, where domestic routines mask deeper emotional turmoil. The stories unfold in small towns and suburban homes, where family hierarchies shift and relationships bend under pressure. These men and women struggle not with grand tragedies but with the accumulated disappointments of daily life. Their searches for comfort and understanding reveal the resilience hidden within ordinary heartbreak.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, quiet-crisis
Setting: Small Towns, Suburban Homes
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
352 pages · Paperback · Ballantine Books