Shepard is a master of the human heart. He knows it's rhythms and movements. While others deal in vast unatainable panoramas he delves into the human soul. Valentine is a story of two lonely people, former lovers brought togeher again by a hurricane, or fate's whimsy. It tells of their desperate coupling, pieces of a jigsaw puzzle trying to fit together, physically attaining their goal but spiritually unable to make the final commitment. Call them Russell and Kay, call them who you will. Making decisions and keeping commitments seems to be Shepard's theme. Shepard has been thought of as a genre writer far too long. With Valentine he has entered the mainstream.