This book consists of nine short stories, which focus on the Polish-Catholic working class in Detroit. 

In one story "Tomato Watch", Lucy, a young unemployed woman, agreed to stay with her 95 year old senile grandfather while her mother and mother's husband did some travelling.  Lucy had an affair with her boss and was now pregnant.  As you read this story you realize that the grandfather and Lucy are both captured in their "own little world". 

The other stories are about a widow who runs a junk shop, an eleven year old girl who left home alone, a woman who opens an expensive European style hotel in a poor neighborhood, and a middle aged woman dealing with her sister's infatuation with a college boy. 

The writer, Ellen Slezak, gives us a perfect example of how these situations do occur in everyday life.  The writer does an excellent job of helping the reader feel the humor and pain in these stories.  Ellen Slezak does a great job with the characters because they are strong and come through to help the reader feel the humor, pain and anger in each story. 


NANCY EATON

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR, NANCY EATON