The stories in this acclaimed debut all take place in the state of Maine--which quickly comes to stand for the state we're all in when we face the moments that change our lives forever. Two roughneck hockey players are kicked off the team and forced to join the drama club. A young bartender at a party of coastal aristocrats has to deal with the surreal request to put a rich old coot out of his misery. Can a father defend his family if the diver helping to free the tangled propeller of their boat turns out to be a real threat?

With humor, a piercing eye, and a sense that danger often lies...