I originally posted this review on my blog, Rachel Reading. If you like it, and would like more like it, check it out!

I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much out of this. It had a leg up because my lovely bookish friend Sarah is the one who sent this through for the Reading Glasses Postal Book Club. However, I haven’t had the best experiences with short stories collections, I really want to be immersed in a world and find amazing characters and hear amazing stories.

The titular story didn’t convince me. I was worried that I was going to have to kind of force myself through these, but then I was pleasantly surprised. While I wasn’t as much of a fan of some stories, most were extremely engrossing. I felt like I’d fallen into the worlds of these characters. So many of the stories really captivated me, and will stick with me for a while.

I regularly think about the story involving the veteran and the masseuse, and since I’m in a postal book club, I’m lucky to where when I get books, someone else has already written their thoughts. The person who gets the books before me is actually in the military, so her take on this book was pretty amazing. I don’t want to spoil any of the stories for anyone, because they all had beautiful hints of magical realism that even when you begin to expect it, they make you gasp with surprise in the most beautiful way.

This book comes highly recommended by me, as I firmly believe that there is a story in here for everyone, everyone will find one that resonates with them more, and I think that’s beautiful. It really reaffirmed my faith in short stories, and has opened me up to a whole new world. I would like to explore more of Russell’s writing because it’s beautiful and done in a way that makes you forget you’re going to only spend a little bit of time with these characters before giving them away. She gives enough closure in each of these stories, to make you feel settled, if that makes sense.