This group of stories is about average people just trying to get through this thing called Life. They are not high and mighty, or extremely poor, but somewhere in the middle. They are chasing their dreams, with varying levels of success.

There is a Nazi celebration in Paris, and a shelling in Haifa. A recluse falls in love with the picture of a woman that he finds in the newspaper, He paints her portrait several times, in various poses, even though the picture is right next to her obituary. David works in an office where one of his co-workers wins the lottery. The rest of the office is suddenly very interested. He has never been one to splurge on himself, but he takes his portion of the winnings and spends it on himself. He also starts playing the lottery on his own. Does he get lucky, or does he blow all of his new-found wealth?

A young woman is sexually assaulted in her apartment. A stray shell kills her attacker, and severely injures her. She rarely leaves her apartment anymore, so that she won't have to deal with people looking at her mangled body. An introverted military hero goes to college, and becomes an accountant. He has crossed the same plaza, twice a day, for years. Suddenly, he is physically unable to do it. The problem is much more than the attempts to patch up the many potholes in the pavement.

These stories are really good. They are also "quiet," in that there is little, or no, sex or violence. They may require some effort on the part of the reader. This book easily gets four stars, maybe even four-and-a-half stars. ( )