‘There is a huge amount of skill involved in crafting these stories so perfectly – all perfectly formed and ready to eat like a delicious morsel of food, Simon Van Booy is a true master, and one whose work I'm very eager to sample more of in the future…For future reading I'll recommend Father's Day – by the same author, it's an incredibly moving read about the power of the relationship between parents and children, and is an in-depth and hugely skilled character study of the two characters whom the novel revolves around’.

– The Bookbag

‘Deftly portrays his characters’ raw emotions.’

– Wall Street Journal

'Van Booy writes with muted unsentimental elegance about the impulses that bind us together.'

– The Times

‘There is a deep and abiding humanism to these stories: people assisting others because the alternative is too grim to contemplate…For all of the globe-trotting and experiments in storytelling found here, there’s also a very human core to these stories – a humanistic reminder of the connections we all share.’

– Minneapolis Star Tribune

'One of the beauties of all Van Booy’s stories, including in his two prior stories collections and in two novels, is that he tells his stories without affectation, but ever so effectively as a stylist and a devout humanist. One amplifies the other, making his stories literary treasures.’

– Portland Press Herald

‘From minimalistic sentences he wrings out maximum impact, stripping away artifice and elaboration in favor of stark, emotional clarity and honesty.’

– Boston Globe

‘One of the most fascinating and arresting literary stylists writing fiction today.’

– Maine Press Herald

‘Van Booy is a writer whose work I will forever eagerly read.’

– Robert Olen Butler, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

'The uncanny beauty of Van Booy’s prose, and his ability to knife straight to the depths of a character’s heart, fill a reader with wonder.’

– San Francisco Chronicle

‘A moving, humorous and engaging look at the ways people lean on and support one another. The first six stories fit together like houses on a street... [an] enthralling collection.’

– Paste Magazine

‘One of the best living short story writers gives us a collection of six beautifully written stories and a novella that search for the genius in common places and everyday deeds by way of poetic prose.’

– Kansas City Star