This short story collection was structurally one of the most creative and unique I’ve read - it utilizes a variety of genres across each story, focuses on rich characterizations, and felt like a community analysis of the fictional Cross River. I felt like the stories at beginning and the final one were strong bookends. The final story (a novella told across several parts) being the strongest for me. Thematically it tied together things that has first surfaced in earlier parts of the collection.

That said, overall this missed the mark for me. I felt like I lost direction with the writing and as such probably lost a lot of the meaning that so many other readers have so cleverly picked up and commented on. Definitely check out other reviews as this has been adored by so many readers!