Despite her many other responsibilities, Christine agrees to teach a night class during the winter, leaving her daughter and special-needs son in their grandmother's care. Over the course of the semester, Christine feels torn between the stress and pressure of doing the best thing for her son and the peace she finds at the monastery where she teaches.

Real Life contains ten perfectly formed stories—singular moments of emotional intensity about the inner lives we all lead. Each story presents the moments of "real life" that all of us experience, stripping away defences to reveal truths of pain, joy, anger, fear, or hope.

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