3.5. This little book of short stories has some undoubtedly gorgeous writing. It is a hodgepodge of fantastical whimsy with some excellent emotional exploration into the human situation. However, like most collections, there were some stories that had much more effective execution than others. Some bits felt a little rushed and underdeveloped while others left me truly wishing there was more. Nagamatsu is a gifted writer and I appreciated the exploration of Japanese folk stories and mythology.