This was a difficult review to write (and, just a heads up, it will be a self-indulgent one). Not because the stories aren't good--in fact, this is one of the best collections of short stories I've read all year--but because of how they resonated with me as a Denver resident who doesn't quite fit in.

I moved to Denver from Chicago almost 1.5 years ago. I didn't move for the legal weed, the mountains, the tech gigs, or even the weather. I moved because my husband has a (non-tech, I should add) job here that he loves. While I appreciate many things about Denver, I've felt a little...listless since moving here.

I picked up Fajardo-Anstine's collection because I wanted to feel more connected to my new city; instead, after finishing it, I feel even more hollow and alienated. The passion and care with which she writes about Colorado, about Denver in particular--even when she's bemoaning the city's gentrification and crime, even with the undercurrent of sadness that bolsters each story--made me want to weep.

I wish I could feel the love for Denver that she feels. Maybe someday I will. But not today.