Ann’s first book, a collection of short stories about the turning points in our lives when we reveal our deepest desires, to others and sometimes even to ourselves.
A recently separated husband realizes that his wife no longer loves him, but that it is his own life he misses, not her. A single woman in her mid-thirties finds that everyone, including her best friend at work, is pregnant, and that their joy can be observed but not shared. A couple, newly dating and not yet well-acquainted, go on a hunting trip that neither will ever forget. A gay man remembers his deceased mother and their vital and troubling intimacy. And in the title story, a young woman discovers on the anniversary of her father’s suicide that her brother may have found a “reason for living” in the love of a good woman.
Written with humor, wisdom, and tenderness, these stories are about the seemingly ordinary moments in which our lives may be transformed.
“Her writing is graceful and effortless, yet as controlled and purposeful as a nest-building bird.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
“Precisely observed … Packer has a knack for rendering with economy and eloquence those rare interludes of grace that come upon her characters unannounced.”
— New York Times Book Review
“Well crafted … Packer’s real strength is her slightly skewed vision and sharp eye for detail that reveal the cracks and fissures in the most ordinary of lives, loves and losses.”
— Washington Post Book World
“Instantly captivating … [Packer] finds a compassionate balance between her characters’ folly and fortitude.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Consistently engaging … Packer [has an] uncanny ability to hold back until the perfect moment and then reveal the deepest heart of her characters.”
— Los Angeles Times Book Review