Kerry Langan's stories capture those fleeting moments when a child experiences a revelation about the adult world, often a disturbing portent. She is equally fascinated with childhood experiences that haunt adults and become more significant with the passing of time. Although her characters and settings are highly realistic and often humorous, Langan reveals how pain distorts one's world, how lives can be tenuously held together by secrets and memories. Her characters are not allowed to suffer delusions; they learn hard, undeniable truths about themselves. Where others would look away, Langan does not flinch.