This book of new stories by the Israeli-American short story writer Jerome Mandel tells tales of the head, the heart, and writing - some gritty, some witty, some smooth. They address loss and love, puzzlement and growing old, making choices -- with wit, intelligence, sympathy. In these stories cars break down, people make surprising announcements or do unexpected things, they die or don't or can't or sell metaphors. Some people fall in love, misplace love, lose love.