With novels like Continental Drift and The Sweet Hereafter, Russell Banks has earned his place among the top ranks of contemporary novelists. His new collection of short stories, A Permanent Member of the Family (Ecco, $25.99), explores the lives of men and women confronting crisis and change. A former Marine facing poverty becomes a serial bank robber until his two sons, both in law enforcement, discover the truth. A woman loses her husband after the couple become “snowbirds,” buying a condo in Florida, only to be surprised and confused by the freedom and happiness that follow his death. An artist announces to his friends that he’s won a prestigious grant, but goes away angry and frustrated, questioning whether he merits what’s been cast upon him. All the stories collected here evoke the strangeness and complexity of emotion.