While Bender is undeniably talented at envisioning imaginative scenerios, I didn't see the point to most of these stories and had trouble staying engaged with them. This was opposite to the experience I had reading The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake which spoke to emotions I was undergoing at that time of my life and felt very meaningful. Bender excels at portraying individuals and their worlds with detail, yet these stories felt unmoored and sometimes listless as they continued on. However, I did feel that Tiger Mending and The Color Master stood out in the collection and were worth reading.