A welcome reissue of this guardedly optimistic tale, told with all Shields's understated skill at dissecting the subtleties of male-female relationships.

Fay, an academic folklorist with a passion for mermaids, uses her passions to escape the present. Tom, a late-night radio show host, has been married and divorced three times before, but hopes that it will be fourth time lucky. The reader is soon cheering along, hoping against hope that this time love will last forever.