<p>In this long-awaited collection of short fiction by the author of <em>Mariana</em> and <em>Our Lady of the Artichokes</em>, beauty is continually and painfully present in all places&mdash;in a Thanksgiving dinner assembled by a widowed DMV worker being stalked by an irate customer; in a middle-aged Hollywood actress who captivates a young studio animator for decades; in the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy; and in a daughter&rsquo;s memories of the ethereal, melting ice sculptures made by a woman embroiled in an affair with a wealthy lawyer. &nbsp;Amid their complex, turbulent relationships in a chronic state of crisis, Katherine Vaz&rsquo;s wise and restless protagonists carry within them the seeds of a vanished, gracious world of urbane dinner parties and passionate affairs&mdash;a humane and cultured civilization whose flawed inhabitants are redeemed by their ability to blend the aesthetic imperative with the power to love.</p>