"People break my heart. Every single one of them does." In settings that range from rural fishing communities to the urban capital, the stories of "Cabin, Clearing, Forest" are a lyrical road map to the human landscape of contemporary Alaska. In "Blue Ticket", a stranger finds solace in a Juneau homeless encampment. Old friends argue over the pleasures and perils of small-town life in "A Beginner s Guide to Leaving Your Hometown", and in "Every Island Longs for the Continent", a young family falls apart after moving to Kodiak. In these thirteen stories, Zach Falcon explores the burdens of familiarity and the pains of estrangement through characters struggling with their place in the world.