Preview of The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Summary:

Bank's collection of stories is more concerned with timeless themes than social concerns specific to a time and place. Admittedly, she does describe the lives of a rather narrow set of people—upper-middle class New Englanders—but by teasing out the intricacies of the human mating ritual, she does offer insights into how men and women interact that could apply to any group of people at any time.

The themes Bank dwells on are all related to the relationships between people and their loved ones. She considers the entire gamut of emotions related to interpersonal relations, from the giddiness of first meetings to the somber melancholy of loss. Both romantic and familial relationships are dissected by Bank. Her final analysis of both types might be best described as bittersweet—all the joys arising out of loving relationships are inherently linked to frustrations and sorrows.

Over...