Thank you to the author, publisher and Book Sirens for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my word, what a book! It’s a collection of Ross Wilcox’s short stories which have previously featured in a various publications individually, brought together in one volume for the first time.

No two stories can be accused of being similar but I took some recurring themes of perceptions of reality, deceptive appearances, and yearning from each story, although they were used in very different ways: From the cuckoo who arrives at the Golden Gate Jumper Survivors Society, to the apparently dependable and sensible daughter in Broken Vessel; the increasing lengths and lawn ornaments of a community in Year Of Our Lawn, to the protagonist’s reality in Oliver Weston GBV.

I shuddered at the couple playing God with the help of a 3D printer in Of Small Account, and at the innocent complicity of Jacob Carbuncle in Ransom. I adored the voyeuristic tour through the realities of Wilcox’s characters and will definitely be watching for more of his work.

Perfect for fans of Black Mirror, I’m giving this a full 5 stars.