I nearly abandoned this book part of the way thru the first story - which I thought was clever, but rather tedious - but I am incredibly glad I persevered! The stories are varied, interesting and imaginative - while it might be a little over the top for this group of stories I think Millhauser's own words in Bomb Magazine (#83, Spring 2003) describe the feeling that binds these stories together - "I want [fiction] to exhilarate me, to unbind my eyes, to murder and resurrect me, to harm me in some fruitful way". I would have to say that Dangerous Laughter - about adolescent laugh parties - and The Other Town - about a town with a replica of the town adjacent to it - are my favorite stories in this collection.
Rating: 4 of 5 First Read Date: June 2010
CM