Old relationships, past selves, hopes for the future--third parties are always in play in any love story. In ten short stories, May-Lan Tan unspools worlds within worlds, the possibilities we seek out again and again, and the seemingly endless churn through self-invention and self-annhilation that is our search for connection. Sleeping with your sister's husband's brother, betraying bandmates, contriving to strike up a friendship with your boyfriend's ex--Tan makes visible how all our dead ends are really mirrors, proxies for something else, and reflections that keep us from seeing our way forward.