I've heard a few times, from various authors I admire, that a good short story contains not one but multiple themes, that it has to in order to be dissectible, teachable--worthy of discussion. I didn't find a story in this collection that wasn't discussion-worthy. I recommend Where The Dog Star Never Glows for anyone who appreciates good short stories that are magical yet realistic, expertly-written, and somehow manage to awaken in the reader feelings she didn't know were there.