The novellas are characterized by their unfailing intelligence and by the technical surehandedness and acuity of the writing. Each has a strong sense of place - New York City, the Hudson Valley, Saratoga Springs - and an eclectic cast of characters who inhabit regions where our most acute hopes, fears, and anxieties coexist. The respectable lawyer of "Tale for the Mirror" attempts to oust an unconventional Hindu healer from his community, only to...