Showing a distinctly un-glamorous side of Southern California, these lyrical short stories are set in run-down diners and other neighborhood eateries with names that range from the prosaic (Breakfast) to the whimsical (Egg Heaven). In one place they offer only chicken pot pie, all day, every day. In another, they serve you what they think you need -- order pancakes, you might get a BLT. Waitresses, cooks, and customers collide, coexist, sometimes offer comfort along with grilled cheese sandwiches or chorizo- scrambled eggs. The stories feature lost mothers, runaway mothers, mother-substitutes; daughters fleeing their old lives and waiting to build new ones. Men and women worn down with disappointment still manage to form connections with each other, share moments of joy. These are lives on the margin, portrayed with respect and compassion.