When I say I love collections of essays and/or short stories, this is the sort of book I mean. Short pieces of writing that have the author's all put into them; gone over with a fine-tooth comb and polished. Only a handful of pages long each and so satisfying you wish there was more. Writing so good it both inspires and makes you want to give up forever. Phenomenal. ( )

Gorgeous prose. Purpura writes in the style of the lyric essay--a literary form that is cousin to both the personal essay and the poem. Her writing is smart, beautiful, thought-provoking, and full of heart. She finds beauty in the ugly and the strange in an honest, humanizing way. Not an easy read, but a rewarding one. ( )