In this collection of twelve dazzling and sensual stories, Pamela Rafael Berkman explores the perplexities of contemporary life through the eyes of women searching for love, truth, and faith. In the title story, a group of coworkers who order miniature plastic nuns rumored to bring love suffer surprising and disheartening consequences. In "Tat," the heroine gets an elaborate Victorian valentine tattooed on her arm and learns the real meaning of wearing her heart on her sleeve. And in "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown," the classic holiday program brings temporary peace to a troubled young woman. Throughout, miracles and revelations abound, appearing in the most unexpected places -- a planetarium on a college campus, a yuppie Christmas party, a silversmith's booth at an outdoor fair, a corner bar on Halloween. In capturing the dilemmas and difficulties of our times, Berkman brings to life the eternal longings of the human heart.
"Thoroughly engaging...[Berkman's] vivid, angled characters always manage to snag us on their jagged hopes and fears."
Richard Russo author of Empire Falls
"The subtle way in which these stories are linked and interwoven takes my breath away. Berkman's rendering of character and situations is unflinching, yet each piece is brushed with a touch of magic. Astonishing!"
Robin Maxwell author of Virgin and The Queen's Bastard
"Pamela Berkman's stories beautifully evoke the chancy, surprising lives of young women, characters whose inventiveness glows -- along with their impatience -- under love's injustices. This is clear-eyed fiction, full of freshness and wit."
