This collection of short stories is unique in my reading life: I couldn't spot anything I wanted changed. Not a scene, not a phrase, not a word. The 34 stories (21 old works and 13 new ones) are generally written from a female point of view. Other than that, Pearlman's characters are a varied lot, from a child getting lost in contemporary Manhattan to a middle-aged American running a camp for displaced persons in 1945. Pearlman examines the bewilderment of youth, the compromises of middle age and the losses of old age. The essence of childhood is captured by the title story, in which a clever girl spies on her neighbours and thinks she knows their lives, until events prove she understands nothing. Capers is the only story I've ever read that depicts a couple's sexual life not only as passionate college students and hassled parents but also as an old couple coping with changing bodies. My only quibble – and I'm stretching – is that I'd like to know the original publication date of the older stories. Other than that, perfection. Read, enjoy, reread.
