Publishing date: 03.08.2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own. 

The book as a meal: A buffet with an interesting selection, but the food itself was mostly subpar or just okay

The book left me: A little burnt out

Negatives: 

The extraordinary circumstances were not that extraordinary

Stories felt a little too long

Positives: 

Stories are very distinct and different from each other

Very good writing

Features: 
14 stories, mostly male POV, slice-of-life esque, trans representation

Why did I choose this one? 

I was in my short story era when picking this up, and I once again judged the cover and thought it looked interesting because of that. 

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able? 

In between. I think I have put myself in a reading slump, and with these stories being the length that they are didn't help with that. Sometimes I could knock a couple stories out easily, other times I had to force myself to read. This might have turned my opinion a little against the book.

The stories are only about 30-40 minutes long if you read a little faster than most, but they felt longer. 

What was the vibe and mood? 

Since each story is different, the vibes and moods are different too. All I can say is that the recurring theme is not knowing enough about the situation and being helpless in doing anything about it. 

Final ranking and star rating? 

C tier, 3 stars. This was okay, it didn't wow me, it didn't make me cry, and I don't think it will stick around in my mind for long. Considering the fact that I was in a reading slump might make this rating unfair, and I might pick this up again later. I think this book fits better for those who really enjoy literary fiction, but I am more in the ballpark of surrealism. That's just the way the cookie crumbles.