This was a really decent collection of short stories, but, as other reviewers have said, it's bookended with two exceptionally dark tales. The first and last are the two stories that have left by far the most impression on me and the impression isn't a comfortable one. As a collection, it's solid - almost no filler - but my memory of all the other yarns is overshadowed entirely by how upsetting the first and final two were. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - both were well written and compelling - but it's hard to rate the collection as a whole when there are really only two that have stuck in my memory!