Lunstrum's stories, set in locales from Seattle to Iowa, from Juneau to Puget Sound, pointedly examine those moments in a life when a memory or random meeting, a realization or chance encounter can cause even the most carefully constructed lives to falter. Sisters, mothers, daughters, and wives inhabit this collection, as they make their way through births, deaths, relationships, and the rest of life's challenges -- at times with bewilderment but ultimately, with a hard-won wisdom and acceptance. Whether it's a daughter disappointed by her mother's choices, a sister at an emotional impasse with an anorexic sibling, or a wife who is all but abandoned by her husband late in their marriage, these stories excavate the immense emotional landscapes that often lie within the smallest of moments.