"The road," Kerouac wrote, "is life," and the women in these three stories hit the road looking for a fuller, richer life than the ones they have at home. Molly Giles, whose many awards for fiction include two Pushcart Prizes and an NEA grant, is a charming and sharp-witted guide to these women's adventures. One flies to Ireland to land a husband; one, who hoped to find shelter in paradise, realizes her journey isn't over; and one loses a lover, a friend, and a few precious illusions about herself as she drives across America.

Molly Giles has published two award-winning collections of short stories (Rough Translations and Creek Walk), a novel (Iron Shoes), and a chapbook of flash fiction (Bothered). Her third story collection, All the Wrong Places, recently won the Spokane Prize and is forthcoming from Willow Springs Press. She has taught fiction writing at San Francisco State University and the University of Arkansas. Previous awards include the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award for Short Fiction, the Small Press Award for Short Fiction, the California Commonwealth Silver Medal for Fiction, the Split Oak Press Award for Flash Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, two Arkansas Arts Grants, and an NEA.