A diverse collection of five short and not-so-short stories tied together only by elements of magic realism. The stories, which take place between the early 19th century and the present, include a piece on an unexpected relationship between two strangers brought together by a climatic disaster (“Kifer Hollow”), a story about characters from books transcending their pages (“Agnes”), a deeply personal fictional memoir by four generations of hunters (“Drop Tine”), an exploration of boy’s life with his brother in his head (“Spalten”), and musings on the richness of solitude (“Island in the Woods”). All but one are set on the author’s farm in the hills of western Maryland, a serene and magical tableau.