Rowing to Eden

Amy Bloom has long been regarded as a master of the short story form. Here, her brilliance shines across two decades and more than twenty-five stories. From the bereaved widow who finds unexpected comfort in ''Sleepwalking'', to the matchmaking shrink in ''Psychoanalysis Changed My Life''; from the teenage girl furious at her dying mother in ''Hold Tight'' to the transgressive lovers of ''The Gates Are Closing''; from the married friends irresistibly drawn to one another in ''William and Clare'' to the brave and heartless girl in ''Permafrost'' - these are stories brimming with life and grief, erotically charged and beautifully crafted.