Because these short stories comprise a 'suite, ' they should be read in order, just as, say, the parts of a Bach Suite for Unaccompanied Cello should be heard serially. There's huge variety among these stories and significant silences between them. Gayle Hanratty's use of form recreates the very way we both experience and remember our lives. Defined moments, snatched from the flow of time, create vibrant and significant meaning. While Hanratty's suite of stories has caught time on the wing, each moment and each individual story digs its toes into the real earth. These stories have the toughness and truth-telling of authentic tenderness extended toward our human condition.