From the death of a beloved cat that leads to the breakdown of a relationship to a girl's struggle with the thrill of shoplifting, A Surprising Measure of Subliminal Sadness ranges the gamut of domestic restlessness. This is a book about unbreakable habits and the habits which break us. Powers conjures a domestic landscape which begins in an imperative voice reminiscent of the speaker of Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl." What follows is a rich weave of tales which, while grounded in unembellished realism, paint a picture with an unflinching affection for their subjects.