Critical Praise

"Hecht's collection of stories takes dead-center aim at an off kilter society and hits the mark with trenchant wit and a satire that bites, but does not kill. "

—Nashville Banner

"Hecht's satiric stories are hilarious [and] poignant. "

—The Commercial Appeal

"Hecht has subtly grounded all these remarkably funny and engaging stories in the fundamental sadness of mortality. "

—— Paul Gray, Time

"Triumphs in its unsparing tableau of life. "

—Newsday

"A pure joy to read. "

—Seattle Times

"There are too many books published about dysfunctional families, fatuous celebrities, faulty advice, impersonal improvement and scholars contemplating the lint between their toes. What there are not enough of are books that are funny, wise and unique. Thank goodness, then, for Julie Hecht. A treasure, a book as dense and perfect as a chocolate flourless torte. "

—Hartford Courant

"Her slight narratives have a way of bursting into full-blown stories at unexpected moments. They're funny and forceful and, sometimes, truly frightening. Such is the world of Hecht, one of the most original voices in fiction. "

—San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle (Editor's

Choice) "She sees and hears everything with delightful, delicious, even delirious, precision. "

—The Boston Globe

" Breathtakingly funny. Ms. Hecht is a brilliant comic writer. The laughs are unforced and unmanufactured. The tone is seamless and magnetic and remarkably gentle, even delicate. Complex, trying, engaging and lovable--by the time you finish the book you are hers forever. Enough wit to get us through the end of this century and well into the next. "

—— Elizabeth Frank, The New York

Times Book Review "Hilarious short stories that focus on the tragicomedy of ordinary life. "

—Chicago Tribune (Editor's Choice)