Magona's depictions of poverty and family are striking, each of her stories focusing on the ways in which political and cultural forces tangle individuals in situations they never would have foreseen for themselves. Yet, in each of her stories, there is also humor, and there is also kindness, her characters coming to life on every page so that it truly seems that each story is a world in itself.

What Magona can create and express in 10 or 15 pages is truly remarkable, and her understated style is worth reading and sharing.

Absolutely recommended. ( )

With the exception of A Drowning in Cala I found this disappointing--a reason to avoid collections of short stories by authors who are well-established. Often these collections gather together anything and everything the person has ever written, most of which wouldn't get published if the person wasn't already known. ( )