2021: This is one of the better collections of short stories that I've ever read, but I still don't think they are my cup of tea. As soon as I get really into the characters and what's happening, bam, it's over! So frustrating.

That being said, I loved the topics covered in this collection. The stories are SO SPECIFIC - the characters have extensive, particular, and unique backgrounds, and the conflicts are varied and individual. On a first glance, the through-line here seems to be racism, but more explicitly, the Black female experience in America today. That being said, you cannot untangle racism from being a Black woman in the US nowadays, so they (very unfortunately) go hand in hand. There is both very subtle and VERY explicit racism discussed.

The specificity of these stories is very reminiscent of and perhaps only matched (in my experience) by David Lindsay-Abaire's plays. The final novella, The Office of Historical Corrections was my favorite of the collection, although perhaps not unsurprising considering it was the longest (and had the most time to develop its characters and for me to grow attached to them). Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain went in a completely surprising direction, and I haven't stopped thinking about Boys Go to Jupiter since I read it. Alcatraz was a bit of a wandering mess in my opinion, and Anything Could Disappear was a riveting ride that ended way too soon.