Unlike the other linked stories, it was unclear to me how these stories were linked until the end. There was no unifying Lucy Barton.

As far as craft is concerned, I think the first paragraph is interesting. We learn a way in which character can be developed. For Linda Peterson-Cornell, it isn’t what we are told about her, but what she notices about Yvonne that informs the reader about Linda’s character. Also, in the first paragraph, is an important line that seem mysterious at first read, “Oh, this will be the one.” Of course, this thought becomes more clear at the end of the story.

Another aspect of character description can be seen on page 70. I like the formula, so to speak, that Strout uses to describe the young woman who disappeared (who I assume we will see more of later). She uses three descriptors: a general, slightly more specific, and very specific. Any more information would seem busy, and any less would give the reader a too broad idea of who this young woman was.

An observation: this narrator seems much more distant than the other two, and there is a much bigger mystery/suspense element in “Cracked.”