Anderson—the editor of three anthologies, including Andre Dubus: A Tribute—takes on a broad spectrum of subjects and perspectives in his first short story collection, but a combination of bizarre material and a scarcity of conventional narrative makes this book a challenging read. One of the most unsettling of the 25 stories is "Luck," which examines the role of fate while providing a grisly, detailed description of the medical procedures required when the protagonist's large intestine bursts. Scattered throughout the collection are several very short experimental pieces, many of which are intriguing but perplexing lists vaguely organized around a single subject. Anderson comes closest to traditional narrative in a series of three stories involving a free-spirited but troubled woman named Barrie, with her boyfriend-narrator offering numerous takes on the evolution of their problematic relationship. Anderson also explores the terrain of fathers and sons, most effectively in the linked stories "My Name Is Stephen Mann" and "Weather," the first of which recounts the death of Stephen's grandfather, a former boxer, from cancer: "Kill the body, the head dies," the old man tells him, quoting Joe Louis. Other far-flung subjects include the bombing of Japan during WWII, the making of an Israeli war documentary and, in a story called "Peacock Throne," the world of espionage and the oppression of women in Iraq. Anderson, who won Iowa's John Simmons Award for this book, never flinches in his willingness to ask tough questions and examine some offbeat, often vital issues, but he will have a hard time convincing a large audience to make the journey with him. (Oct.)
