A passion for humanity drives Rona Altrows's Key In Lock. The people in these entertaining yet poignant stories wrestle with self-doubt, ethical dilemmas, money problems, health issues. Yet somehow they survive and sometimes they even thrive. Key in Lock also marks the return of Irene, the beloved manager-in-all-but-name of Marjorie's Lingerie introduced in Altrows's previous book, A Run on Hose. This time Irene takes on issues as diverse as dating later in life, the effect of childlessness on a person's psyche, stress incontinence, and the love rituals of banana slugs. Irene also brings us tales of her youth in the days of the polio epidemic and Vincent Price horror movies.