<p><b>''A perfectly formed set of stories about alienation in modern times'' <i>Independent</i><br>''Mesmerizing - almost ecstatic'' <i>The New York Times</i></b><br><br>Mary Gaitskill''s coolly compelling, quietly devastating stories explore the messy complexity of relationships between lovers, families and friends. An unsettling encounter on a plane; a tentative affair between an older woman and a younger man; the chasm between a father and his daughter: each expresses our longing for, and our fear of, human connection.</p>