The truth? I was worried that this collection of [a:Lucia Berlin|157697|Lucia Berlin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1463323021p2/157697.jpg]'s short stories was going to be a rant about the well-to-do by an oppressed minority—a biography of a housekeeper from the Philippines who works in Beverly Hills, say. That kind of writing has its place and value, but in my case reading it is a been there, done that proposition.
 These stories have great depth and variety and are so brilliant that I'm ashamed never to have heard of Berlin (1936–2004) before reading them. They are deep and at times disturbing, but only in a way that makes you want to read more of them. Some critics compare her to Raymond Carver, but I agree more with those who emphasize that Berlin was entirely her own.
 If you are the kind of reader who prefers novels to short stories, this would be a good book for you. The order they're presented in make them nearly a memoir.