This is what is sometimes called a "mosaic novel" -- a novel made up of short stories that have been tweaked to relate to each other. The stories are masterfully written and the connections between them work well; I enjoyed this thoroughly. The ending felt a bit unfinished to me, but that is also understandable -- unlike many more traditional novels, the lives of the characters don't necessarily reach culmination (there is no "lived happily ever after"), but most reach a place where their lives have changed -- so it is, in a way, more realistic.

In short, it's a beautifully penned series of stories. I recommend it.