Meredith Steinbach s first co~~ection of

short stories, Reliable Light, consists of

seven major stories, ranging from the

very brief to the novella, from tragedy

to comedy, from traditional to experi-

mental voice. Steinbach writes with

grace, power, and a deep understanding

of the intricacies of literary tradition.

This collection opens with "Sparking,"

the story of an imm

perate attempt to f

ciety, followed by

grant woman s des-

t into a bigoted so-

To be Sung on the

Water," the revelation of a woman who

reaches a true understanding of her

dead mother on an odyssey back to the

plains for her grandfather s funeral.

"On Star Street" compresses into one

moment an old woman s whole being

and memories as she sits in a nursing

home. In the comic fable "Actual Oil," a

youn~country woman is seduced by a

man with "electronic eyes" The long,

darker story, "A Preponderance of the

Small," presents a woman enervated by

chance disaster, an unthinking .~ociety,

and life in a region of relentless rain.

"Soundings in Feet and Fatho~.~" is

written from a Black doctor s point of

view and speaks, as if to himself csn~ ~is

son, of his family s situation and dis-

placement in a small New Englan~

town. The final story, "In Recent His-

tory," portrays the silent aftermath and