With these two novellas, Silbert joins the ranks of storytellers like Isaac Bashevis Singer and Malamud, writing about an America inhabited by people from other places - in this instance, from the Ukraine. Arriving in thee USA at the turn of the 20th century, they trade Yiddish and Russian for English and old customs for new freedoms. 'The promise of freedom and prosperity is accompanied by anxiety, guilt and regret in this often impressive book.' - New York Times