First published 2005
In the small Massachusetts town of Godolphin, a leafy wedge of Boston, ordinary people discover extraordinary depths within themselves. A widower confronts his solitude. An estranged spouse makes an unexpected choice. A career woman faces a moment that changes everything. Restaurant workers navigate their shifting relationships. Jewish grandmothers reveal hidden complexities. These sixteen characters live across four countries over six decades, yet their paths lead back to this mythical two-by-three-mile place. Each person appears unremarkable at first glance, preferring to stay unnoticed. But when unexpected obstacles arrive, they abandon comfortable routines for spontaneity and improvisation. Their responses surprise even themselves. Pearlman observes each character with cool precision, revealing intricate personalities that defy prediction. The collection balances subtlety with extravagance, understatement with spectacle. Dark humor threads through stories that welcome the world's immense variety. These vivid portraits capture people who astonish themselves as much as they surprise readers, finding grace in moments of falling.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, found-family
Setting: Godolphin, Massachusetts, Boston
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
224 pages · Paperback · Sarabande Books