The newest collection of warm slice of life stories without the cynicism. Some melancholic, some hopeful, some humorous, all keenly and quietly observant. Main stories include ‘Steven’ exploring the blurry line between friendship and love between 2 comics fans, ‘Tide Pools’ where a visiting student encounters a girl with an itch to move on and out of her small town life but no gumption to go through with it, the particularly remarkable ‘May 27th’ which brings a student social worker face to face with delinquency brought on by lower class despair, and ‘The Burial’, with its aura of mystery, in which a terrible secret is literally unearthed leading to an insightful revelation. Collected from the comic book issues 1 through 4.

"4 out of 5! A number of stand alone short stories that are eminently accessible and delightful in their diversity."- Alan David Doane, Comic Book Galaxy. com

"Murphy joins Jaime Hernandez and Adrian Tomine as a comics writer who refuses to shy away from complex female characters. The strip reminds readers of the pure and innocent fun that comics can provide." -Publishers Weekly

Presenting a collection of short slice-of-life stories quietly but strongly etching various facets of our lives, making us think about ourselves and how we act with others. The House of Java is a coffee house where little flashes on all sorts of people that happen in for a cup are sprinkled among other stories such as "Welcome to Seattle" where a girl leaves her home town for the first time to meet her boyfriend. But he stands her up and she is left to fend for herself in a strange town. As it turns out, it's a liberating experience and once she does stumble on to him, he is amazed at her transformation, so similar to his own.

“One of the best graphic albums of the year! A must-read book.” Tony Isabella

“Murphy is worth keeping an eye on.” Kirkus Reviews