Even as he has worked steadily at his epic series of novels about Frank Bascombe, Richard Ford has also honed his gift for writing short fiction. The stories in this 2002 collection include those of a couple weekending in Maine to recapture the ardor that has disappeared from their life together; a duo's illicit visit to the Grand Canyon, which reveals profound truths; and a young wife telling her husband of her affair with the host of the dinner party they're about to join.