Much like the characters contained within, the four stories and one novella that comprise the collection do their best to explore how we balance the life we want to live with the one that we already have. Set in the northwest, Marcel Jolley's stories touch on fishing, fathers and sons, death and loss, personal history, hero worship, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, long-time friendships and relationships, and expectations.

Marcel Jolley was born in Skagway, Alaska, and now lives in Camas, Washington, with his wife and son. His story collection Neither Here Nor There (Black Lawrence Press, 2007) won the inaugural St. Lawrence Book Award.