Meet Natasha, Anna and Mona, their inarticulate longings, their persistent humor in the face of sad relationships and their tendency toward slightly fraudulent good manners. In this collection of new and selected stories, RoseMarie London unveils in unsentimental and spare language the ways in which people, especially men and women, talk and don't talk to one another.

'RoseMarie's pared down style perfectly mimics both her narrators' emotional state and an unwillingness to give in to self-pity. It's writing that cuts close to the bone, but remains refreshingly funny, sharp and...