This Life She's Chosen

This short story debut by Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum has been sitting on my bookcase for many years, perhaps since it was published in 2005. Reading it was part of my quest for a few empty shelves in my library. These are stories about Pacific northwest women of Scandinavian extraction whose relationships with their families are uncomfortable. Alienation, the emotional distance between people, is the theme that ties the collection together. On the surface the stories seem uncomplicated but there is a haunted feeling that lurks beneath. The subtleness of Lunstrum's writing makes each story exquisite like a tiny perfect gem or an orchid. I'd like to read other books she's written.