Interesting short stories, many reflecting on issues of Irish nationality (especially in the context of the conflict in Northern Ireland and racism towards the Irish from the English) and most stories revolved around the breakdown of long term relationships between men and women. This issue became a little bit tiresome, but the standout story for me was The Hills are Alive, which I thought had fantastic momentum. The author tended to use the characters' full names throughout his stories, which I cannot stand - so they must have been interesting enough to not make me put the book down. ( )