Fascinating tales, sharply revealed characters, a fine narrative craft

He was a superb storyteller - one of the very best in our language - who wrote with a wordly, sardonic understanding of the human condition. Writing was his life; everything else was secondary to it

Adam Haslett's tone is one of delicate, understated heartache... He never lets the reader forget that he is shining an unflinching light on those types of human suffering that cannot be cured, only endured

Enormously moving... Haslett's writing is harrowing, morbidly funny and deeply erotic

Adam Haslett arrives from out of nowhere sounding like a master

The stories are sharply focused, beautifully written and powerfully moving. I know of no collection like it. Deservedly it has become a classic

Yates is a master of the form