The Big Hunger

The stories. "Prologue to Ask the Dust" is essentially a prècis of the novel, displaying a savage energy and sense of immediacy. This and several other stories bring the Los Angeles of some 60 years ago to life.

In the memorable "Mary Osaka, I Love You," Filipino dishwasher Mingo Mateo falls in love with the daughter of his Japanese employer. Mingo's friends are violently opposed to the union, but Mingo and Mary argue that politics and race should not interfere with love. They elope to Las Vegas and marry on December 7, 1941.

"Bus Ride" is a tale of interracial attraction, this time between a Filipino man and a European-American woman.

A family in "The Bad Woman" unite to keep a son and brother from making what they believe is a bad marriage.

"The Sins of the Mother" tells of a formidable matriarch who is determined that her beautiful daughter not marry a truck driver.

The style. The collection is uneven, but weaker pieces are outweighed by those that show Fante's heartbreaking and precise vision in top form.