This Life She's Chosen

"Kirsten Lunstrum's stories are gem stones, multi-faceted, highly polished, more and more complicated the closer you look," says Pam Houston. Each finely tuned story in this remarkable debut collection captures a pivotal moment in the life of a woman trying to reconcile past expectations with present, usually unplanned, developments. In the title story, a woman who decided she really should be French visits her married daughter, who once again becomes tangled in a web of lies and disapprovals. In "Picnic," a new spin on family politics emerges during an outing with mysterious Aunt Vivian. In "The Virtuoso," a young violin prodigy's talent disrupts the harmony of her teacher and his wife. Bringing to mind the work of Elizabeth Bishop and Alice Munro, Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum's stories form a sophisticated and graceful collection.