Short stories are always so interesting to try to explain because it's difficult to talk about them as a whole, but also they're a whole book so it's silly to just talk about a few.
I often think short stories are places where fantasy writers put stories that can't wind their way to a happy ending. In that respect, this is absolutely a book of fairy tales, especially of the warning variety. The weirdness of the world will break your heart if you let it. You have to let it.