The fourteen stories in this dazzling collection continue acclaimed author Lauren B. Davis' exploration into her characters' psychological landscapes, and ensure her reputation as a writer of razor-sharp intellect and deep compassion. Weaving these stories together is the notion that what one wants and what one needs is not always the same thing: a tale of a heart-broken father coming to terms with the drug-overdose death of his son; a child who must choose between the safety of her mother's controlling over-indulgence and the wider, more dangerous world; a young girl outsmarting a pedophile during what she calls "the summer of naked men;" to a brilliant but socially awkward woman who deals with betrayal by taking on the persona of a bear ... Davis hits the nail on the head each and every time.