"In Mary Stewart Hammond's first book, the telling is a gorgeous, manic outpouring of lyrical narrative... Hammond is an original, witty, lush writer, mature enough to embrace her friends' sufferings, the mixed pleasures of a household with adolescent daughters, the rich torment of family life, her own childhood... There's a largesse to this writer, an irresistible radiance that catches the grief and joy of an examined life." -- Gail Mazur - Boston Globe "Introduces a distinctively energetic Southern voice. Hammond's language fairly crackles with words that 'escape rebellious as steam / from the snap-bean pot.' In addition to weaving rich linguistic textures that offer surprises at nearly every turn. Hammond is a powerful storyteller." -- Virginia Quarterly Review