A collection of short stories, all dealing with either gay issues or people that are mentally disturbed. These should be classified in a couple of new genres: Gay Gothic and Psychotic Gothic. The stories are horrific, sorrowful, dramatic. The writing style is sparse and spare. The style may be the only one that works with subject matter like this. The more horrific the story the more sparse the style is a good rule for writers.
I "enjoyed" only one of the stories: "Notes to my Biographer". The manic excitement of the protagonist (a manic depressive off his medication) was infectious, and sad.
I particularly disliked "Divination", which bordered on maudlin trickery.
A little bit of this subject matter goes a long way. There is a fine line here, that the author risks crossing, and when he does, it turns me off.
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