Midalia’s point-of-view characters are often middle-aged women. She is not afraid to depict them as painfully insecure, sometimes hopelessly deluded. Some are in control, many are not. One character bumps into her husband’s ex-business partner while out walking, and questions of friendship and divergent tactile behaviour are explored. In another, a widow clutches at friendship with a troubled young man. The view switches to girlhood in the 1960s: cultural dichotomies of the era are worked over when ‘beatniks’ move in across the road with a girl the same age. A few teenage males appear with their own angst and self-absorption; mother–son relationships are explored. Spread over gender and age groups, eras and locations, these stories rely not on action but inference, reflection, and progression of character; a rationalist theme emerges from time to time: take responsibility for your own actions.

The best stories are tightly structured, with linking images that return to make satisfying conclusions, occasionally with a quirk or twist.They are beautifully written, and never over-written; Midalia is a master of inference drawn from detail. She does not judge, but carefully lifts the corner of a curtain to show a teasing perspective. Female readers over fifty may find much to associate with; all readers will find quirky compassion and unfailing engagement.