First published 1997
Berriault crafts intimate portraits of women navigating the complexities of desire, loss, and connection. Her characters move through moments of quiet revelation and sudden upheaval. A mother confronts her grown daughter's choices. An aging woman reflects on past lovers. Sisters gather at a deathbed. Each story captures women at crossroads, whether facing the end of relationships, the weight of memory, or the pull between independence and intimacy. Berriault writes with precision about the small gestures that reveal large truths. Her women are neither victims nor heroes but fully realized people wrestling with the messiness of human experience. The collection explores how women claim space for themselves in bedrooms, kitchens, and the landscapes of their own minds. These stories illuminate the courage required for ordinary life.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, quiet-moments, slice-of-life
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
416 pages · Paperback · Counterpoint