Book excerpt: Makino's mother taught her caution, showed her how to carve her name into cucumbers, and insisted that she never let a kappa touch her. But when she grows up and her husband Tetsuya falls deathly ill, a kappa that claims to know her comes calling with a barbed promise. "A Cup of Salt Tears" is a dark fantasy leaning towards horror that asks how much someone should sacrifice for the one she loves. "An elegiac story of love, grief and sacrifice."--Kirkus Reviews At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.