The Love of a Good Woman (1998)

For anyone who still hasn't discovered Alice Munro (Friend of My Youth, Open Secrets), The Love of a Good Woman amply demonstrates her talents. Whether she's exploring friendship, fidelity, aging, or motherhood, Munro delivers uncanny insights into relationships and why people often make such unusual choices in life. The lengthy title story rambles, but tightly constructed, artfully composed tales like ''Cortes Island'' — in which a dying man infiltrates his tenant's dreams — will haunt readers just as indelibly. A-