In the most general of terms, Pritchett has received critical acclaim as a writer of short fiction because of his grasp of character, an attentiveness to detail (no doubt brought about by his literary apprenticeship as a journalist), and an interest in and understanding of natural human behavior. Further, even though his themes may appear morally and psychologically intricate, his focus has always been socially sharp. At all levels of meaning, his stories principally describe and develop predominantly middle-class, ordinary characters who find themselves immersed in the mundane and often comic details of common existence. Certainly, the title piece of When My Girl Comes Home has attracted attention for the irony that governs how Hilda Johnson's family and neighbors view her, as well as the spiritual upheavals created by and following her return from Japan and the war. However, the story also remains a classic exercise in portraying...