Wow! What a great multi-level story. By the end of the book, you definitely feel like you have walked beside these characters thru-out many years. I am not sure you would call it a coming of age story, although it seemed like it at times. This is the type of book where, you sorta know people in your youth who are similar to some of these characters that makes it seem more like Bathsheba's Diary rather than a novel - A good read that may bring back memories of similar people to those who were teenager's during the 70's and 80's. ( )

Monk writes like they used to. ( )

Interrelated short stories about leaving home. The stories in this collection really stayed with me. Deceptively easy to read...I say that because the language is so clear and precise, it doesn't hit you till you're finished the book that there are some weighty themes in here. ( )