Chris Bohjalian characterizes his writing as "domestic dramas. . . . Sometimes that term sounds pejorative, but that's not how I mean it. I write about ordinary people in what I hope are extraordinary circumstances." The people in Bohjalian's novels are confronted with domestic tragedies and professional crises; many of his works focus on the aftermath of dramatic loss. Bohjalian's works explore the ways in which social controversies play themselves out in the domestic arena. His writing covers such controversial topics as midwifery, dowsing (the practice of locating and redirecting underground water sources), homeopathy, and transsexual surgery, and the ways that these topics lead to personal, moral, and ethical dilemmas. Many of the situations in which Bohjalian's characters find themselves are too complex to be easily resolved by the law, professional ethics, or medical protocols--let alone small-town mores. Bohjalian describes his works as "fictional memoirs." His narratives are typically related in...