Caitlin Macy

Educated, independent, and privileged New York women take most of the leading roles in Macy’s new collection, following The Fundamentals of Play (2000). “The Red Coat” peers into the life of wealthy Trish as she becomes increasingly anxious, if not slightly paranoid, over the arrival of her self-confident cleaning woman, Evgenia. In “Bait and Switch,” two sisters, demure Elspeth and bold Louise, are vacationing in a beach house in Italy with Louise’s young daughter in tow. When the siblings take up a handsome German’s offer of lunch one afternoon, they find themselves leaving the meal in a situation far from what they anticipated. In “Taroudant,” a newlywed’s impulsive decision to explore the grittyneighborhood surrounding her luxury hotel leads to harrowing consequences. While most of Macy’s stories feature well-off thirtysomethings, the superb title story follows adolescent Leigh and her domineering riding instructor during the course of a horse competition. Issues of class and femininity arewoven throughout many of these tales, and often make for interesting perceptions and sly conclusions.— Leah Strauss, Booklist