Woman in a Special House: And Other Stories

An impressive collection of 18 short stories that are both daring and intimate comes from the pen of poet (A Well-Tuned Harp) and critic (Out of Darkness) Little. If the dialogue in some entries is occasionally weak, the precision of description is exquisite throughout. Typically, Little conjures atmosphere in a simple turn of phrase; in a more sinuous sentence, she recalls an evening in Japan ""when crickets chattered the night away in the grove of pine trees near our house, when, houses open for air, I heard, far into the night, Mrs. Nukada playing her cheap flute."" The simplicity of these stories is their greatest strength, particularly in the title tale, in which Little delicately explores the thoughts of a woman on a respirator. In another gem, ""The Last One on Earth,"" the last surviving passenger pigeon reflects on her youth with such sensitivity and grace that it's easy to forget she's not some wonderfully eccentric grandmother. In ""Journal,"" a daughter copes with her mother's death by composing an imaginary record of their relationship, a perfect testimony to the highs and lows of family love. Whether in first-person or third, these stories are very internal and all reflect the musings of an observant, curious protagonist. Bound neither by reality nor time, Little's stories effortlessly span generations, countries, even species, smartly blending conventional themes and dramatic flair. (Mar.) FYI: Little is vice-president of the Poetry Society of America.