An unusually strong first book, this collection of short stories depends on exquisitely crafted surfaces that conceal shocking emotional force. Three of the stories are obliquely connected and feature young women on the edge. In the first of these, a new mother contemplates her new baby; in the second, a girl finds herself in rehab; and in the final story, the main character goes to jail. Other characters include a New Zealand serviceman returned from active duty in Dili, the employees of a $2 shop, and a vegan couple at a Samoan resort

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