The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Berlin, Lucia. Evening in Paradise: More Stories. Picador, 2019.

Lucia Berlin's Evening in Paradise: More Stories is a collection of 22 short stories, compiled after Berlin's death. Each of the stories employs a distinct point of view, structure, and style. The following summary adheres to a linear model, and uses the present tense.

In "The Musical Vanity Boxes," friends, Lucha and Hope, are furious when they discover that local boys, Sammy and Jake, have tricked them into earning money for their new car.

In "Sometimes in Summer," Lucha and Hope spend their summer days together. Then one day, Lucha's estranged uncle comes to town and gives the girls silver dollars. Desperate for attention, Lucha shows off the gift to her family.

In "Andado: A Gothic Romance," 14-year-old Laura spends four days at her father's coworker Don Andrés's estate. She is confused by Don Andrés's advances, and wonders if this is what love feels like. When he has sex with her one night, Laura feels even more bewildered and alone.

In "Dust to Dust," after local hero, Michael Templeton, dies in a tragic motorcycle racing accident, his brother Johnny, and the first person narrator, have fun at his funeral.

In "Itinerary," the first person narrator takes her first plane trip from Chile to New Mexico for college. Along the way, she discovers how little she knows about the world, and herself.

In "Lead Street, Albuquerque," Shirley feels trapped in her marriage to Bernie. Then, when she begins observing friends Rex and Maria's marriage, she realizes that her life is not as bad as she thought.

In "Noël, 1956," Tiny is furious that her husband invited people she hates for Christmas. To prove a point, she spends the whole day on the roof drinking.

In "The Adobe House with a Tin Roof," Maya unexpectedly falls in love with the ramshackle adobe house where she and her family move.

In "A Foggy Day," Lisa's old friend Paul visits her in New York, and notices that Lisa is still unhappy.

In "Cherry Blossom Time," Cassandra's constant encounters with the local postman make her depressed about her own life.

In "Evening in Paradise," Hernán's stable life and work at the hotel are threatened when a guest starts dealing drugs in the bathroom.

In "La Barca de la Ilusión," Maya and her family's happiness is dependent on her husband Buzz's sobriety. When he relapses, Maya despairs.

In "My Life Is an Open Book," the first person narrator watches her neighbor Claire's every move through a pair of binoculars.

In "The Wives," Max's ex-wives, Laura and Decca, spend an evening drinking and talking together. They share their sorrows and joys, and realize how much they crave human closeness.

In "Noël, 1974," Maggie feels overwhelmed when her husband's sister Zelda visits for Christmas. During the holiday season, Maggie starts drinking again, and worries about her future.

In "The Pony Bar, Oakland," the first person narrator lists all of their favorite sounds.

In "Daughters," the first person narrator describes the work she does with a doctor, and her complicated relationship with her patients.

In "Rainy Day," after returning to rehab, the first person narrator describes the pros and cons of getting sober.

In "Our Brother's Keeper," while searching for clues to her late friend Sara's mysterious murder, the first person realizes she could have saved Sara’s life.

In "Lost in the Louvre," the first person narrator explores Paris by herself. She spends several days in the Louvre, and discovers a wing that reminds her of death.

In "Sombra," Jane attends a bullfight with two couples. During the fight, she realizes her own insignificance.

In "Luna Nueva," two women swim in the ocean, and share their encounters with death.