Hello, Sweetheart is darkly humorous, gritty, and touching. McCluskey's unassuming Canadian towns are populated by dreamers and disappointment, killers and collaborators, VLT junkies, sinister drug-testers, and a dangerous stay-at-home dad named Mugsy. It exposes the frailties of people-marginalized people, forgotten people, and grieving people-but never loses sight of their humanity. Edgy and at times disturbing, this collection of short stories will take you places you don't expect to go.