Labozzetta examines desire, connection, marriage, and ambition in her latest collection of 10 short stories.

These quirky, emotionally fraught, and deeply introspective slice-of-life pieces feature moments of dry wit and subtle, unexpected twists. “Amnesia” tells the story of a man who suffers a head injury and realizes he doesn’t love his fiancee, and in “For the Love of Buffaloes,” a wealth manager suddenly quits his job and becomes singularly preoccupied with producing the perfect mozzarella. Among the standouts is “The Intruder,” about an eccentric older woman who aggressively asks a stranger about her love life and underwear preferences; when the prying woman accuses her, with disgust, of wearing practical, unattractive cotton underwear hiked to her waist, the character indignantly and humorously retorts: “It’s bikini style—on sale.” The most stunning piece, which will linger with readers long after it ends, is “The Woman Who Drew on Walls,” about a woman named Iris whose memory is muddled by dementia and her transgender son who helps care for her; it reveals the close relationship between the two, and Iris’ difficulties and rare moments of lucidity in touching and sometimes-amusing conversations. When Iris tells her son, “Your father. Well, he’s not your father,” he considers the veracity of her claim in light of her other confusions. The eclectic and cleverly nuanced characters, who dwell in Italy, El Salvador, Antarctica, and elsewhere, are recognizable and relatable—flawed and whimsical enough to be interesting without seeming unrealistic or outlandish. Labozzetta’s taut, self-assured storytelling is impressive, as is her ability to compassionately capture the complexities of ordinary lives in thought-provoking ways.

An exquisite set of stories steeped in humor, humanity, and grace.

A collection of short stories about the women in a tightknit family and the sometimes-supernatural difficulties they face.

The Ficola women are the protagonists of this newest work by Labozzetta (Sometimes It Snows in America, 2013, etc.), featuring 10 stories that each explore a different challenge of marriage or motherhood. Joanna struggles to save her marriage after the death of her child, while Rosemary struggles to save herself after the death of her marriage. Nancy faces family-related illness and adoption simultaneously, Barbara works to redefine herself after her children grow up and move out, and Angie searches for confidence in her own body. Labozzetta gives each character her own quirks (Joanna is artistic, Barbara is a hoarder, and so on), though at times it seems they all share one indistinct narrative voice. Still, the author successfully weaves a web of interlocking stories, with each woman moving in and out of the lives of her family members. The best stories are those that the author imbues with an unsettling sense of the supernatural. In “Villa Foresta,” for example, Joanna becomes convinced that an Italian peasant girl is the reincarnation of her daughter, while her empirical husband begins to worry for her mental condition. The scenario itself is intriguing, but it’s the conflict between grieving husband and wife that drives the story forward. “The Birthing Room” is another supernatural standout, in which the author turns the story of a mother with an empty nest into a classic poltergeist story. Both tales reflect Labozzetta’s greatest strength: taking common material—parenthood, adultery, illness—and adding something slightly uncanny. At the same time, the formula also reflects some of the author’s weaker points. For example, her premises are often stronger than her prose; her dialogue, in particular, occasionally feels unvaried and overly explanatory. Nonetheless, the characters maintain a strong, distinctly female voice throughout. They’re world-weary and wiser for it, and readers will want to enter that world. Most of the 10 stories could stand alone, but they gradually coalesce into a comprehensive, compelling family portrait—a whole that’s greater than the sum of the parts.

Warm, often engaging stories about the challenges of five women midway through their lives’ journeys.

Emotional upheavals undermine the pedestrian routines of middle-age and senior characters in these engaging stories.

The primary fault zone is the seemingly stable, secretly unhappy middle-class marriage, often of Italian-American pedigree, seen from various views. In "When Michael is Away,” a new mother wonders if her orderly, dutiful husband is having an affair, and whether she even cares. A visit from a willowy blonde saleswoman prompts a wife to ponder her lesbian proclivities in "The Knife Lady.” The husband in "Future Games” encourages his wife to have an affair with another man to save their floundering marriage, and the resulting drama is parsed through the uncomprehending eyes of their young daughter. A dentist whose wife merely tolerates him seeks help from a faith-healing charlatan in "The Tooth Healer.” "Surprise” follows a woman’s decision to clean house while her professor husband is off camping–and throw out the marriage along with the rest of the clutter. In "After Victory,” an elderly woman gets a call from the man she almost married during World War II. A man evaluates his own collapsing, childless marriage in light of his parents’ sudden divorce announcement at his doted-upon brother’s birthday party in "Ticket to Ride.” And in the title story, a seamstress in a custom swimsuit shop delivers to a devastated wife dumped for a younger model the timeless advice that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Labozzetta (Stay With Me, Lella, 1999) infuses her stories with a wry wit and a subtle, nuanced feel for the shifting emotional currents underlying seemingly placid lives.

A funny, finely wrought collection.