This was an engaging collection of short stories that primarily placed queer mixed-race Asian Canadians (primarily in Eastern Canada) at the center, many of whom are struggling with loneliness and/or relationships of some kind. I was really taken to the way that Chau Bradley considered different forms of attachments, platonic or otherwise, and the ways they can manifest in complicated ways. What I also found interesting was that Chau Bradley never offered any sort of closure to their stories, which I felt added another layer of loneliness to many of these characters’ lives. Some stories ended with a bittersweet taste in one’s mouth, especially because you might have wanted more for that story’s protagonist. Other stories ended with a pit in one’s stomach, due to the tension that arose over the course of the story (I think especially of the final short story in the collection, “Soft Shoulder”).

I don’t think this short story collection will quite work for everyone, especially if you’re looking for something lighthearted. There certainly is humor, but it is the sardonic kind that Chau Bradley brilliantly delivers. I did feel that some stories lacked, but the stronger ones really shone.