Alan Cheuse is probably best known to American book lovers through his work on National Public Radio, both as book commentator on All Things Considered and as host of its short-story magazine, The Sounds of Writing. He is also a writer of fiction, having published three collections of short stories, three novels, and a memoir. His articles, reviews, and short stories have been published in periodicals such as The New Yorker, Black Warrior Review, The Nation, The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, The Saturday Review, The Chicago Tribune, Ms., The Dallas Morning News, and The Antioch Review. The nature of commitment and the sundry ways in which people betray one another has been a concern of Cheuse's fiction for more than twenty years. Cheuse appreciates the beat of the human heart, even as he wonders at its cry for love despite all...