The linked stories in Kate Walbert's debut collection examine the very contemporary predicament of families without geographic roots. The first half of the book chronicles the life of Marion Clark, a "company wife" who repeatedly packs the household and accompanies her husband around the globe. In the stories that follow, her adult daughter, Rebecca, dutifully attempts to fulfill her mother's thwarted aspirations.

From the patchwork of communication that unfolds between mother and daughter, Walbert creates a narrative that is both fractured and lyrical.