Oh. Wow. This collection. 

Another backlist win. I got this because I really enjoyed The Office of Historical Corrections in 2020. I ended up loving these older short stories by Danielle Evans even more.

~ A biracial girl spends a summer with her white grandmother, visiting her for the first and last time

~ A Black college student, unexpectedly pregnant, considers how class impacts women and motherhood 

~ A soldier returns home from service and re-establishes a bond with his ex-girlfriend’s young daughter

~ A young man visits his sister at college for Thanksgiving, both still feeling the impact of an event from their childhood 

These and other stories, which you often assume are going one way but then jolt in another direction were delightful. Such a smart, surprising and satisfying collection. 

This book came with me to silent book club, to the hair salon (where I managed the delicate balance of keeping my nose buried in it but also being sociable), and in the car, in general (“just in case”). 

And now I’m finished but I may still carry it around for a bit.