Whether it is of life lived beyond the pale ("The Oak Tree at Courthouse Park"), a twisted-up childhood ("A Pair of China Dolls"), or workplace victimization ("An Autumn's Tale"), manifest schism between shifting norms and identity is central to this short fiction collection. This feminist author narrates with precision and verve the personal sacrifices paid surviving within overly rigid hierarchies. Estrangement and abuse doubles over itself ("Clunker's Tale"), becomes a misshapen scarp, and is painfully self-evident in the romantic finale, the novella, Tales from the Old Guide. This is a haunting, well-crafted unconventional read.