A collection of eight stories that follow ordinary people through awkward, anxious or oddly funny moments. They include a marriage in which each partner may or may not be sleeping, an office-based tale about a corporate consultation, and a boy facing a difficult day at school. Wallace writes with great precision about inner thoughts, self-consciousness and the small failures of understanding between people. The stories are long, intricate and demanding, but reward patient readers with sharp humor and an unusual tenderness.