''Signs and Wonders'' documents a couple's divorce after twenty-six years of marriage; in ''Robbing the Cradle'', a teacher desperate to conceive resorts to the most extreme measures imaginable; and ''The Stepmother's Story'' sees a young woman experience every parent's worst nightmare while on holiday in Edinburgh.

These are but three of the stories in a collection showcasing Alix Ohlin's matchless characterization and raw readability. The reader reaches the end of one story, feels sad to leave its cast behind, yet are buoyed when, mere moments later, they find themselves equally engrossed in the next offering.