A series of short stories that are largely an expose on the empty lives of the New Orleans society elite. We begin with a story that ends suddenly in a murder/suicide, and the next ends suddenly in a double accidental death/suicide. Things pick up a bit in the more hopeful "There's a Garden of Eden", and "The Famous Poll at Jody's Bar" is fun, and "In the Land of Dreamy Dreams" does most of what the first two stories tried to do, only better, and without needing to kill anyone at the end. Then we're back to suicides, abortions, and southern transplants to Indiana who don't fit in. Woo-hee. The last several stories are milder by comparison -- almost too mild? -- but "Revenge" and "Traveler" stand out, perhaps because the main characters are too young to have been permanently damaged, yet their smaller hurts are still very real. Overall, I liked this, but I'm not running out to read her other stuff.
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