Krik? Krak!

Stories of heartbreak and longing and political strife that I didn't always understand the history of...nevermind because under each tale is a strong current of hope (and in many cases, love). I was impressed by this collection of short stories, and I'm pretty sure I had encountered Between the Pool and the Gardenias in a textbook somewhere. The stories, all of them, left me breathless as each topples just above the crevice of devastation, the end of the main character or, in some cases, entire families. I normally read story collections out of order, picking the order by how much I like the story's title, but I read this one in order and was glad I did because some of the stories reference others and when those characters appear, it's like being greeted by an old friend. Lovely work.