What they lack in length, Edith Pearlman’s stories make up for in depth and richness of characters. Her collection of stories “Binocular Vision: New and Selected Stories” includes a parade of fully developed characters who learn to deal with a shortcoming they have encountered in their lives. Most of us can relate to at least one of the characters in these stories.

Pearlman’s stories most often deal with problems that people deal with on a day to day basis. One of the recurring themes in the stories is that of relationships. Husbands and wives struggle as they choose to remain faithful or give into their desires. Other characters, such as Sophie in “Inbound,” discover how a relative’s illness will affect their lives. Some characters, like Henry and Dorothy in “Capers,” try to find some way to bring excitement back to their lives as they age and their bodies no longer allow them the pleasures of the past. People of a variety of sexual orientations are included in the novel. Homosexuals, bisexuals, and asexuals are included as characters. One story mentions a character believed by others to lean toward interspecies relationships. In the same story, two teen cousins experiment with incest.

One of the most common settings in the novel is the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Often seen is Godolphin, a fictional suburb of Boston. Other settings range from places like London to Central America. Many of the stories are set against the backdrop of World War II. Jews and the Jewish faith are commonly incorporated into the stories. Through the stories, Pearlman demonstrates that even though these people were persecuted, many managed to make good lives for themselves in the United States after World War II. One story “Relic and Type” includes a description of the Jewish children of a Jewish man and Japanese woman. Children, particularly those with a mental or physical defect, are common characters in the novel. One story that addresses the theme of handicapped children is “Tess.”