A "brave, accomplished and utterly compelling" short story collection from the National Book Award–finalist author of Zig Zag Wanderer ( Kirkus Reviews ). Deploying a seemingly unlimited range of subject and setting, Bell's latest collection of stories are as inventive as they are revelatory. From a monastic Chinese mouse who ponders his lot in life to the aching frustrations of a former drug addict attempting to connect to her son, Bell continues to refine his renowned craft on the characters who fall under his compassionate gaze. Drawn by Bell's command of language and voice, readers follow his cast of characters from Manhattan to the French Riviera to the American South to London, where the homeless, the barking mad, and the everyday saints are all revealed as unforgettably human in these sometimes poignant, sometimes devastating stories. " The world these 10 stories conjure is a shifty, dangerous place, requiring of its inhabitants small acts of daily heroism. . . . A humane and mature book, the work of an important and talented writer. " — The New York Times Book Review "Presents a crystal-clear vision of humanity that disturbs and intrigues." — Library Journal