“Everything about these stories is expert.”
–Alice Elliott Dark, author of Fellowship Point and In the Gloaming

“Tender and witty, beautifully crafted, the kind of work that makes a person marvel at the long and messy experience of a life well lived. What a wonder! I deeply loved this collection.”
–Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Things

“These women are all of us, rendered so insightfully as to be both painful and thrilling – and often mordantly funny. She really does it all.”
–Bridget Piekarz, The Book Cellar, Chicago

An unsuspecting couple is treated to a luxury vacation by their deceased neighbor. After begrudgingly agreeing to volunteer at a nursing home, a middle school girl gambles over games of bridge with elderly residents. A single mother struggles to understand the unique bond between her autistic son and his dying grandmother. Four friends experience decades of highs and lows as pawns in The Game of Life. A professional gynecology patient runs into a high school flame while at work, undressed, on the job.

In this irreverent collection, celebrated novelist Julie Schumacher balances sorrow against laughter. Here, we experience story not only as narrative, but as syllabus and as board game. Each protagonist—ranging from girlhood to senescence—receives her own indelible voice as she navigates social blunders, generational misunderstandings, and the absurdity of the human experience.  READ MORE