This the debut novel of Canadian writer Diane Schoemperlen, author of four short story collections. In this inventive work, she has organized each chapter around a stimulus word taken from the 1910 Kent-Rosanoff Word Association Test — such as table, cabbage, wish, earth, ocean, thief, etc. The result is a multi-textured portrait of her protagonist, Joanna, as daughter, lover, wife, adulterer, mother, and collage artist. Schoemperlen mines platitudes from Joanna's parents and lovers and unearths emotional truths. She digs beneath everyday actions and rituals and captures the mysterious pulse of significance and meaning. Best of all, this beautifully written novel delineates the different permutations of love in Joanna's life and longings.