United by the most common of items-underwear-this offbeat collection of thirteen short stories celebrates the connection shared by all individuals and the universal struggle to make sense of human nature, however quirky it may be. In the title story, Darla wants a boyfriend, and her entire life revolves around getting one boy to notice her. "Change" tells of how a conversation with an elderly family member on Halloween night subtly alters the course of a young woman's life.
All seventeen-year-old Jay wants is some peace and quiet, and he gets it when he is accidentally locked in a storage room all night in "The Storage Room." In "Jamie and Amy," a young man is dying to ask an older girl for a date but is mortified by the way their names sound together.
"8 Girls Are In Love With Me" and "8 Boys Are In Love With Me" tell the surprising tale of a scheduling mix-up at a summer camp that leads two counselors to teach swimming lessons to a group of difficult kids, and in "Faking It," Juliet doesn't expect to make any friends during her European vacation, but that's before a hot Australian guy introduces himself to her.
Both the serious and trivial sides of the human psyche merge in the sometimes somber, oftentimes hilarious, but always thought-provoking collection of stories in "Matching Panties."