The title novella and four short stories in Molly McCloskey"s dazzling second book vary in setting, tone and characterization, but their subject, always, is love. McCloskey writes of broken families, misbegotten relationships, the mysterious communion of brothers and sisters, and the invincible love of a father and daughter, in a voice at once witty, warm and sharp. Her characters are lonely when together, and pulled by the unfathomable imperatives of the heart when alone. From the dual quest narrative of "The Beautiful Changes" - a daughter"s quest for a lost father, and the father"s quest for sobriety - to the funny and moving tales of family life and sexual misadventure in the shorter stories, Molly McCloskey shows herself to be a philosopher of tears, and a storyteller of the first rank.