A “bracingly strong” ( , starred review) collection brimming with savage Southern charm, propels Mary Miller to new heights. Claustrophobic and lonesome, acerbic and magnetic, her characters seek understanding in the most unlikely places—a dilapidated foster home where love is a liability, a trailer park laden with a history of bad decisions, and the empty corners of a dream home bought after a bitter divorce. “Full of wit, bite, and the boundless intelligence of their author” (Kevin Powers, author of ), these stories evoke the particular gritty comfort found in bad habits as hope turns to dust, and they prove yet again Miller’s essential role in American fiction.