Passion and betrayal, violent desperation, ambivalent lovethat hinges on hatred, and the quest for acceptance by those who stand on theedge of society-these are the hard-hitting themes of a stunningly crafted firstcollection of stories by the bestselling author of House of Sand and Fog.In the title story, a vigilant young man working in ahalfway house finds himself unable to defend against the rage of one of theinmates. In "White Trees, Hammer Moon," a man soon to leave home for prisonfinds himself as unprepared for a family camping trip in the mountains of NewHampshire as he has been for most things in his life. And in "Forky,"an ex-con is haunted by the punishment he receives just as he is being releasedinto the world.With an incisive ability to inhabit the lives of hischaracters, Dubus travels deep into the heart of the elusive American dream.
