I picked up this little gem because I liked the cover art and the stories sounded interesting. I read the book in one sitting. John Goldbach's stories are mostly set in small town North America and are about the pain, freedom and beauty of youth. His characters are hedonists and bar-stool philosophers who don't quite realize they are searching for meaning but who know that although drinking, drugs and sex don't quite fill the whole picture, at least they fill something.

Looking forward to more from this author.