Hempel's writing, particularly her stories in Reasons to Live, evoke a lifestyle that is Californian in nature. Despite the fact that they were written in New York, most of her stories take place on the West coast, including "In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried." Hempel frequently uses cultural references as touchstones for her readers, knowing they will understand what a "Marcus Welby" hospital looks like, or that country singer Tammy Wynette recorded a song called "Stand by Your Man." In doing so, she places her writing firmly in a modern, American context. Marcus Welby, MD, a television show starring Robert Young, aired from 1969 to 1976, would be remembered by almost anyone who had been in college during the early 1970s, as the narrator and her friend were. This American setting is further reinforced by her references to California beaches, the narrator's convertible, and...