RaveEpiphanyThe recognition or ignorance of mortality is a source of weird and wondrous humor throughout these stories as South throws different generations onstage and watches them wrestle it out ... insisted-upon emptiness, if anything...gives a slight sag to the middle of what is otherwise a reliably solid collection. We have heard about our overreliance on the superficial reflections of the digital world, the swift and appeasing arrival of our own sardonic wit. But what propels each of these stories is the quest for a more authentic moment, a shared vulnerability that can’t be quashed, whether by physical death or bullying mantra ... This may explain why the collection’s penultimate story emerges so satisfyingly, bringing to mind other masterful writers of the short story that share Mary’s name.
