M ichel Faber is not only a master storyteller but a daring innovator as well. Here are the pitch-perfect prose, indelible characterizations, and deep empathy for which he has been highly acclaimed. Here also is a satirical streak that depicts individuals at uncanny and all-too-familiar turning points in their lives. The alienated find sanctuary in ÒThe Safehouse,Ó their histories and diagnoses written like endless ads on their T-shirts. In ÒAndy Comes Back,Ó a man awakens after a five-year coma, only to flee his home. In ÒThe Eyes of the Soul,Ó perpetual televised beauty replaces the derelict view from a suburban picture window. In ÒFinesse,Ó a dictator holds his surgeon's family hostage to the outcome of a risky operation. These sixteen stories move from unspeakable sadness through moments of exquisitely distilled happiness.