The stories were a sharp and concise portrait of the characters' lives. This book depicts how the cast of characters who were our schoolmates creates a foundation for the stories we tell ourselves for the rest of our lives, , the role of that earliest "social scene" in the development of our personalities.

The mostly female characters are shown carrying their baggage unreflectively and unapologetically well into middle age; none of them has it easy and for completely different reasons. As usual, Strout's nuanced language and her ability to find the one detail that captures the whole scene make each chapter a delight.