I really liked the first short story in this collection, titled “The Repairer of Reputations”. It’s a surprising mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction, with evocative imagery made dubious by the unreliable narrator. It’s infused with dark humour, and these tumbling contradictions and twisted truths make for some good political satire, for example the decriminalisation of suicide being seized upon by the government, warped from a declaration of bodily autonomy into a warrant to execute those deemed undesirable. I would gladly read a novella or novel following this story’s protagonist, Hildred, and his delusional perception of the world. Good prose.

Unfortunately, the rest of this book doesn’t meet the expectations set by that first story. There are a few fairly run-of-the-mill gothic tales; decent, but nothing spectacular. The last two or three stories abandon the supernatural elements altogether, instead detailing the romantic exploits of some American artists in Paris. I have to admit I skimmed those (they were quite boring). They feel very out of place and weaken the collection as a whole.