Lorrie Moore's artful short fiction plays upon hauntingly familiar pangs in its depiction of the pitfalls of modern existence. Throughout, a darkly witty sense of humor pervades the often desperate lives of her characters. Much of the criticism of Moore's work has focused on this humor, described variously as "wry" and "apt." However, as Ralph Sassone points out in his article "This Side of Parody: Lorrie Moore Gets Serious", her use of humor produces dramatic effects: "Although a cursory reading of her work might make it seem coolly satirical, its aftereffect is the memory of palpable pain. . . . Funniness is simultaneously a leavening agent for her wrenching narratives, a temporary paregoric for her characters, and a distancing device that perpetuates their alienation."

For all this wit and pain, Moore's reflections of life, seemingly confessional, appear as intimate views into the psyches of real people. This quality, perhaps, is what...