This collection’s title is taken from its first story, a novella, which is followed by four shorter tales, all expertly and sensitively drawn. <br />Story 1, “The Heir,” concerns an inheritance as told from the point of view of the heir, an unmarried middle-aged man. Its subtitle, “A Love Story,” is not a reference to another person but to the inheritance. <br />Story 2, “The Christmas Party,” tells of a longtime family alienation and separation followed by a shocking reunion. <br />Story 3, “Patience,” is a touching tale of an apparently “comfortable” marriage, but where the husband tends to lapse into his secret memories of a long-past love. The title is the name both of a version of Solitaire that his wife often plays and of her coping with her husband’s curious mental absences. <br />Story 4, “Her Son,” is the poignant story of an aging mother eagerly planning for the future with her long-absent son, now returning but with his own private ideas. <br />Story 5, “The Parrot,” is a sh
