The title of this collection exactly describes Taniguchi's pieces. Her primary themes are loneliness and survival: life as a Japanese wife to an American nurse, her desire to fit in, the legacy of her Hiroshima-survivor parents.

There is a poignant sadness to her pieces: many of her poems are written about her husband's patients, his reaction to their condition. Even thought she is rewriting a story she heard about a stranger's death, I was struck with an intense sense of her loneliness: her inspiration comes from her husband's experiences. Just as frequently, she writes about the cultural disconnect between them: her longing for blue eyes, his inability to speak Japanese, the invisibility she feels as a foreigner.

Her pieces are short, many written in prose-like blocks. They are brief snapshots of Taniguchi's days, and they ache, bristle, and sigh. A lovely, short debut. ( )