Cirrus@Austlit

Beth seems caught in a spell cast by charming, witty Miles. She wears the lovely, pale wools he selects for her and says he shields her from the world. But Miles’s reluctance to become intimate leaves Beth full of suspicions… and yearnings. When she meets Marcus, who is so urgent and direct, so different from Miles, her world explodes into passionate fulfilment. Surrounding Beth are her brash, sexually adventurous cousin, Kyrie; Nita, Marcus’s mother – earthy, ebullient, mourning the defection of her man; and Juliet, who calls herself Miles’s spare godmother and continually ponders her own dreams while making everyone else’s come true. All are seeking their places in an uncertain world.

In an era when there are no rules about the age, gender, or the faithfulness of lovers; when families are scattered and marriage is optional; when the threat of AIDS lurks in the background of every relationship, these people seek permanence in a mural on a wall, in a treasured photograph, or in their own recollections. Yet their moments of tenderness and their tentative quests for continuity and love draw them together. Their story is told with the keen perception, the wit, and the emotional truth that characterize all of Jessica Anderson’s work.