Ranging from an autobiographical tour-de-force that describes a childhood spent with an alcoholic father to "Looking at Women," a reflection on male yearning and confusion, to a look at the place—or absence—of nature in recent American fiction.

"Secrets of the Universe" ranges from an autobiographical tour-de-force that describes a childhood spent with an alcoholic father to 'Looking at Women,' a reflection on male yearning and confusion, to a look at the place-or absence-of nature in recent American fiction.

Sanders looks for and often finds universal truths in the particulars of everyday life. . . . A marvelous celebration of the small and large mysteries of life. —Kirkus Reviews