A collection of twelve short stories from the O. Henry Prize–winning author. In "Death in Rome," the shadow of cancer—and of an intimate secret—hangs over childhood friends on vacation. The unexpected confession of an affair reveals the unsettling truth about a loveless marriage, tainted with animal ferocity in "Baboons." A potential suitor allows "Poor Cousins" to embark on a scheme to inherit the extended family fortune from their paranoid wealthy uncle. In these tales and nine more, Shelia Kohler reveals the dysfunctions, the betrayals, and the emotions that drive human behavior in the search for connection—or just a moment of happiness—between people struggling to establish relationships. "Her themes of displacement and alienation cut to the heart as she quietly strips away the tales we tell ourselves in order to go on from day to day." — Booklist