I do not read a lot of short story collections. This is mostly due to the fact that it is not my favorite style of writing. I was really hoping that this book would join the few short story books I have liked. It wasn't that I didn't like it, I just remembered why I don't usually go for these books. Some of the stories were more enjoyable than others, others didn't connect with me at all. I know that this is typical of short stories. The book did do a great job of exploring a wide range of topics and had a wide range of characters. I am unsure as to what exactly I was expecting when reading this but it just wasn't that. However, the writing was very well done, it invoked a variety of emotions and in the end I was glad I had read it.