One of the most original and daring writers in English letters, Michel Faber shows his incredible mastery of wildly diverse literary forms with this, his long-awaited second collection of stories. Faber's characters in these 17 fictions are often dislocated—fragile beings confronting moments of fracture—in worlds that are both real and surreal. From the achingly sad lives of "The Safehouse" to the moments of exquisite happiness in "Vanilla-right Like Eminem" to the futuristic savagery of "The Fahrenheit Twins," these are fearless stories that crack our humanity wide open. With his brilliant characterization and pitch-perfect prose, Michel Faber has produced a short story collection that will seal his reputation as one of our most arresting and gifted writers.