The collection delves into some dark themes, like abuse, suicidal ideation, and drug addiction. In “Aeternum,” an opiate-addicted narrator fresh off a bender lies on her girlfriend’s front stoop, covered in vomit, seeing herself through her girlfriend’s eyes, while “The Scissors” combines passages from academic research on teen addiction with the story of a teenage addict and the tragic consequences of his choices. Turner doesn’t shy away from gore, occasionally delivering shockingly violent conclusions. However, the collection achieves thematic balance through stories that effortlessly capture the giddy alchemy of romantic love and attraction, particularly in the “Dramatic Effect” series, which sweetly charts the development of a couple from a chance meeting to a committed, accepting—and quirky—partnership.

Regardless of their subject matter, Turner’s inventive use of language infuses all of her stories. Keeping up with her lively prose, packed with lengthy asides (brackets are often nested within parentheses) and refreshingly offbeat figures of speech, has rich rewards for readers on the wavelength of the “digretch”ions: Turner refers to coffee as “wonderbrew” and strings of Christmas lights as “Jolly Rancher luminescence.” But while Turner’s style is unconventional and occasionally dense, it reliably reveals her diverse characters’ inner worlds, whether they are a child at the beach or a lovestruck commuter. Some elements may be proudly eccentric, but readers will be surprised by how easy it is to connect with its characters as they attempt to know themselves and face their challenges.

Takeaway: Playful, sometimes jolting fictions of the highs and lows of the human mind.

Comparable Titles: Karen Russell, Carmen Maria Machado

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-