"[Laken] can turn out finely wrought observations on people's miseries and bad choices like she grew up at Chekhov's knee. But she brings some extra juice, both playful and serious, to these eight tales. . . . A national talent." -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Loss, temporary and permanent, physical and emotional, is the hard, gleaming thread tying together Laken's short-story collection. . . . An absorbing literary exploration of the geography of loss." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Vivid and evocative, these stories will appeal to readers of both popular and literary fiction." -- Library Journal