The China Factory — Mary Costello

In these twelve haunting stories, Mary Costello carefully examines the passions and perils of everyday life and relationships and, with startling insight, casts a light on the darkest corners of the human heart. What emerges is a compassionate exploration of how ordinary men and women endure the trials and complexities of marriage, memory, adultery, death, and the ripples of disquiet that lie just beneath the surface. With a calm intensity and an undertow of sadness, she reveals the secret fears and yearnings of her characters, and those isolated moments when a few words or a small deed can change everything, with stark and sometimes brutal consequences. "Irish writer Costello shows a mastery of the short-fiction form in her first collection. Her prose is subtle, strong, and lyrical, while her knowledge of human nature yields memorable characters."-Booklist