De Lint is a prolific writer of short stories. Most of them take place in urban settings, especially the fictional town of Newford, a place where magic mixes with modern urban life. These stories often feature outsiders such as Jilly. The characters of Jilly and Sophie appear in other Newford stories. For example, they appear in "The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep" (1993), in which Sophie works out "the classic abandoned child's scenario" in a series of dreams in which she must save the moon, her mother, from drowning. The story shares the complex structure of "In the House of My Enemy," with the narrative voice shifting from third person to first person from chapter to chapter. The issue of child abuse also shows up in "Bird Bones and Wood Ash," in which a woman, Jaime, mourning the loss of her lover, Annie, becomes like a...