Hello, Sweetheart is darkly humorous, gritty, and touching. McCluskey's unassuming Canadian towns are populated by dreamers and disappointment, killers and collaborators, VLT junkies, sinister drug-testers, and a dangerous stay-at-home dad named Mugsy. It exposes the frailties of people—marginalized people, forgotten people, and grieving people—but never loses sight of their humanity. Edgy and at times disturbing, this collection of short stories will take you places you don't expect to go.