A pretty above average collection by a very whimsical writer. She reads sort of like George Saunders if he wrote fairy tales. Bender’s stories are actually more personal than his, which seem to focus on the absurd nature of the actions and come to represent greater truths about capitalistic societies, which can be overwhelming at points. But the weirdness in these stories come from something more inward, and affect only a few individuals A boy is born with keys for fingers, and finds out, with equal amounts disappointment and joy, what they open up in “The Leading Man”. Another story, “Fruits and Words” is about a woman, who owns a shop where the fruit is frighteningly delicious and words have very real, tangible bodies and are really expensive. Some of the stories do kind of fall flat, but these are usually the shorter ones that focus more on a gimmick than a story. These stories do occur a few times in this collection, but thankfully it does not derail the whole book into a ditch of goofy yet shallow writing. It is definitely not the best collection I have read ever, but it does have its qualities. It really goes to show the reader how well Bender can balance the insane with the humane. No matter how silly or sometimes stupid the premise or details are, we never lose cite of the human element, whether that be loneliness, a need for gratification, or the universal need to fit in. Behind the quirky situations, which, thankfully are in no way annoying or too cutesy, are real problems and real people, which sometime come to reflect the many odd yet natural ways we deal with the everyday world around us. I do recommend this collection, because while this is by no means my favorite collection of short stories, there is a big audience out there that will love this dearly, as they should.
Rating: 4/5
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