Emily Schultz writes about the lives of girls and women, but her literary predecessor is more Anais Nin than Alice Munro. In these twelve stories a small-town superhero puts on his female counterpart's costume; the midnight launderette beauty queen ages as surely as her sweaters collect more dog hair; and the little red-haired girl leaves before you can tell her you love her. A femme-fatale destroys a couple's happiness; twin sisters take their family problems out onto the soccer field; and the future prom queen is deflowered two years before the twelfth-grade formal while the rest of the characters desperately search for dance partners for 'Stairway to Heaven'. Throughout, we learn that if there is unconditional love in this world, it occurs only between girls and their mothers -- and only for a very brief and beautiful period of time.