WOW, okay. I am so interested in all of this. There is so much going on here. I am interested in moral dilemmas, moral grayness and the way people do bad things for good reasons (and the way we feel while reading those decisions unfold). I love that there are unlikable characters. I like the subverted expectations. There are moments when these stories just seem silly, and then it gets smart, and all of it just works. God. It's so good.

It's hard to pick out my favorite stories from this collection because I really liked them all for some reason or another. "Escape from Spiderhead" probably tops the list, maybe followed by "Puppy" and "Tenth of December." The endings of "Home" and "The Semplica Girl Diaries" were surprising and amazing, though I was frustrated for a solid ten seconds before realizing "wait, I like that."

They're so abrupt, but that abruptness gives it this incredible realistic quality -- no neat, happy endings, just real ones. It works really well in the case of a soldier who can't quite adjust to home life, and of a poor family struggling with unexpected bills. Saunders explores those spaces without patronizing or making light of them, which I really liked.

I think this is one of my favorite short story collections. Highly recommended.