A Closet Full of Masks

Susan Snowden's wry humor suffuses even the most poignant of these stories, all set in the South--from south Georgia to southern Appalachia. Thematically, she treats readers to a smorgasbord of tales whose characters are struggling in various ways. Presented with a rare opportunity, an artist must face his insecurity; an uneducated woman searches for a way to win her son's respect; a reclusive librarian seeks solace after the death of her father; a divorced woman is shocked by her behavior when she starts dating again. And in the title novella an eighteen-year-old, away from home for the first time, encounters difficulties she never anticipated. Clearly the author understands her characters, each with a distinctive voice and worldview, and that she cares about them enough to redeem them--or at least give them hope--regardless of the challenges they face.