World Famous Love Acts (2004)

Brian Leung's deeply flawed protagonists in World Famous Love Acts present a wide and satisfying range. In the chilling ''Executing Dexter,'' two boys flee the gloom of broken homes by ''killing'' homemade dolls. At the center of ''White Hand,'' a conflicted young man (who, like Leung, has a Chinese father and a Caucasian mother) searches for emotion at the grave of an ancestor. A couple reunites to put down their sickly canine -- and reflect on the family that exists only in their memory -- in the powerful ''Dog Sleep.'' Each story asks a pointedly difficult question: What happens when we let our most coveted relationships deteriorate under the stress of plain ol' everyday living? Leung reveals a plethora of fascinating answers with beautiful, concise prose and unwavering empathy.