"This new collection from Pushcart Prize-winning author Stacey Richter brings cavemen, bat boys, clones, and other odd bits of reality together with wit, razor-sharp observations, and searing compassion. Cavemen roam the suburbs, morality is questionable, teens are angsting, and alcoholics abound. This is the world as Stacey Richter sees it. In spite of-or perhaps because of-this alarming cast of characters, Richter's stories are infused with wit, humor, and keen observations of what makes humans tick. There is no sentimental hand-wringing about alcoholic or absentee parents, lost loves, or the most terrible suburban neighborhood Christmas displays. Richter's characters live, exist, play, and often drink too much because that is simply what they do. Carrying on is the only option"--B & N from the publisher(September 2007).