Fiction. Thanks to advances in biotechnology, the female protagonists of HALF KNOWN LIVES experiment with a fine upstanding citizen of their prairie city. They take Max Hoffman hostage, impregnate him, and keep him prisoner for the duration of the pregnancy. This mordant novel traces the consequences of the experiment to the end of the characters' lives. Joan Givner is a subtle writer whose stories work their way into your psyche so quietly you hardly notice -- until you reach the last few lines and then wish they could somehow continue. You've become completely enmeshed in her characters and their lives -- The Globe and Mail. By the author of THIRTY-FOUR WAYS OF LOOKING AT JANE EYRE, also available from SPD.