[Another of my backlogged journal entries; I read this book in mid-November of 2004, and it's been waiting to be registered and reviewed ever since.]

I found this battered paperback in the swap shop of Nashua's Four Hills landfill/recycle center. I hadn't realized Shaw wrote short stories, so I was interested to read this collection. Turns out it's a dandy anthology.

The title story's a lovely little vignette about a lonely American in Paris who watches an assortment of mini-dramas play out in the street outside while he waits for a trans-Atlantic call to his girlfriend to go through. It's wildly atmospheric, sometimes funny, and quite poignant as well - a little gem. Then there's "A Year to Learn the Language," about a young woman studying art in Paris, and her attempts to make her first sale while coping with spoken and cultural miscommunication. This one took several unexpected turns, and mixed some very good you-are-there/awkward-youth scenes with a lovely conclusion.

All the stories are good ones, though the two I've mentioned stood out. What a lucky find this was!

Controlled release:

I'm sending this to BCer FutureCat in New Zealand. Hope you enjoy it!

Arrived home from the meetup tonight to find an exciting parcel waiting for me, full of books (which is the best kind of parcel!)

Thanks, Gory!

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