In fifteen short stories and a couple of linking essays, Peri Rossi dissects the stages of falling in love and out of it again, with "alone at last" serving as a key-phrase (in different senses) for both processes. Infatuation, cohabitation, the interference of children and rival lovers, and the frustrated quest for the full-stop at the end of a relationship are all illustrated from ironic and slightly offbeat perspectives. Witty and often perceptive in unexpected ways. I think my favourite was "Ulva lactuca" (Sea lettuce) — a story that turns out to be all about the journey of a spoonful of soup towards the firmly-closed mouth of a reluctant toddler. ( )