"One hundred miles from Manhattan is the town of Wellington, where life is different. But there is a fine line between decorum and debauchery, and behind the civilized façade of the dignified and delighted, the picturesque and privileged, there are demons that are deftly unearthed in this ironic look at the suburban life. 

Chris Orcutt's ten short interwoven stories are widely varied in style, offering rich and descriptive language....The stories offer a lightness and fluidity in writing....Orcutt pays tribute to his literary muses often mentioning his inspiration through his literate characters.... 

Deftly interwoven short stories effectively reveal picture-perfect life in suburban America—with all its hideous flaws.

"Welcome to Wellington, New York, where, in this loose novel, readers can eavesdrop on the lives of the uber-rich and those who cater to them. Think of a very, very upscale Winesburg, Ohio—with no inhabitant nearly so innocent as young George Willard. Or think John Cheever, for this is certainly Cheever country."

"He is so exquisite in his writing that I couldn't wait to finish....I cannot tell you the joy it gives me to read literature that is so well defined. The prose is exemplary."

"Orcutt has a good grasp of his characters, but several of them are almost interchangeable: men and women who drift into affairs just to pass the time. A few stand out, such as Victoria, a working single mother eager to find a new partner, and Holbrook, who can’t wait to find someone with whom to share his recently acquired millions. Reappearing characters drift in and out of these events, but Wellington itself is ultimately the strongest character in the book."

"May I add that there's also humor, delight and fun? This is a portrait of a town and its denizens—its schools, its diner and hardware store, its hair salon ... as you read it, you are there (hey, maybe you really are there!). In short, this book is full of surprises and is totally fun to read." - Ann LaFarge