Beginning with Milly and Charlie Diamond, a longmarried couple facing the world hand in hand, "The Family Diamond" lays bare the lasting imprint our families make on us--for better and for worse. In these nine stories we see glimpses of our own families: when Charlie offers advice to his lovesick grandson; a young man tries to repair his relationship with his estranged brother; and siblings unexpectedly reunite at a hospital bedside. And when we meet up with Milly and Charlie again, in the final story, they have mysteriously regained their youth and are trying to explain to their friends--and to themselves--this unbelievable reversal of fortune.

• arcShort storiesfiction