Rich People in Santa Barbara

The intersecting worlds of the two novellas in Rich People in Santa Barbra are worlds of privilege, worlds with eerie shadows beneath the surface.

In Montecito Peak, Barbara Palmer, who is very rich—“I was born lucky”—is a good mother to fourteen-year-old Betsy, the guiding light of Bird of Paradise Books, an involved member of the Concours d’Elegance committee. But emotionally she’s treading water. Her husband is a peevish alcoholic. He’s a terrible father. No one would think less of her if...