In the twelve stories in this engrossing collection, Sara Schaff introduces us tocharacters at turning points in their lives; in doing so, she charts the way we takerisks-or create illusions-in the face of the unknown. A newly blended family'svacation is upended by one daughter's mythmaking and another's eagerness to believeher. A young couple on the verge of breaking up take one last trip together, only to havetheir reconciliation disrupted by uninvited guests. A woman faces accusations of theftby the very people who think they have saved her from a troubled past. In beautifulprose that is sometimes dark, sometimes humorous, Schaff 's stories grapple with class,sexuality, and relationships in ways that feel revelatory and yet deeply true. Awkward,flawed, and hopeful, these characters' stories hum with the regrets and desires thatdrive us-sometimes closer to our goals, sometimes heartbreakingly further away.