Readers looking for quiet character-driven literary fiction that delves into the darker corners of human relationships will find this collection to be of interest.
Many of the stories are about a passion or longing which torments or even ultimately ruins a character. The prose (in the English translation) is expertly written, and the text is rich in small insights into its characters' psychologies.
I most enjoyed the zany ironic comedy of "Love Is Energy", the deeply human pathos of "Her Hand", and the incisive character dissection of "More than a Woman".
Unfortunately for me, many of the other stories, though well executed, are based upon premises which feel overfamiliar. I sometimes found myself wishing the stories would push further or surprise me more—that they would stand out from other similarly conceived literary fiction.