Reading Hastlett's short stories brought out many emotions and many of them were pretty raw and intense. This collection touches on the subjects of mental illness and isolation in a very direct manner without sugarcoating them. For me it was a great experience reading this collection but I can see why some people might find the material pretty heavy. Besides the material presented, I really enjoyed the writing and the flow of the text. ( )

I found Haslett's stories grimly pleasant. They straddle the line between realism and the bizarre. Haslett's characters are quiet, and unassuming, yet bound to the complexities of destiny and fate. Death is omnipresent, usually lurking off-stage readying itself to pounce on characters already waiting for his arrival. Haslett knows the perfect moment to pull the curtain and leave us, of course, crying over the fate of his broken characters. ( )

This is a haunting book of short stories with a common thread of mental or emotional trauma. To date this is my favorite collection of short stories. Well written, with realistic situations and fleshed-out, sympathetic characters. ( )

I enjoyed this well-written collection of stories dealing with difficult topics of the heart and mind. I was bothered, however, by the fact that about half of the stories dealt with gay men/boys coming to terms with their identity while the other half dealt with mental illness as though the two were the same thing. Not! ( )

I was so surprised not to love this book. Haslett tends to go for sudden endings or last minute surprise twists that (in my opinion) don't work--the only ending I liked was that of "Devotion." "Notes to my Biographer" was brilliant right up to that final sentence. I wish he had put more thought into choosing titles, too. ( )