Synopsis
An eloquent and poignant work of fiction about the soul of the American family, and about storytelling itself, by one of our country's most important writers.
Book Magazine
"Consciousness is very hard work," a father confesses to his estranged daughter in one of two Pushcart Prize-winning stories in this masterful collection. Consciousness is what Busch's characters try to avoid in these twelve tales of infidelity, divorce and secrets. In "The Talking Cure," a narrator aware of the "darkening drift and dismay" of his parents' marriage finally acknowledges the painful truth of his mother's affair. In "Are We Pleasing You Tonight?" a restaurateur confronts love's tenacious hold when a customer requests a place setting for her deceased husband. In "The Joy of Cooking" a divorce attorney makes a final attempt to save his marriage by baking a cake for his wife. Busch offers up the most inventive excuse for infidelity in the novella, "A Handbook For Spies," in which Willie discovers that his father, rather than admit to an affair, has convinced his wife that he's part of the CIA and sworn to secrecy by his "control." There are echoes of Anton Chekhov and Raymond Carver here, but this collection is Busch at his best. A cohesive, enthralling examination of the dangers and rewards of naming "the mistakes we are condemned to once in a while commit."
—Denise Gess