Eric Condette Condette itibaren Khajra Khakham, Uttar Pradesh 244410, Hindistan itibaren Khajra Khakham, Uttar Pradesh 244410, Hindistan

As many have already commented, Ms. Fallon captures a side of war not often written about, and she does it with aplomb. The best thing about reading this book is that is makes you want more at the end of the stories. For my taste, I thought there was a fair amount of MFA slickness to some of minor descriptions, but I know several readers really enjoy that style of hyper-detail. It's almost like you can feel what visceral details have been added by MFA workshops and which one work more naturally. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Ms. Fallon is perhaps too good on hammering in the five senses into every scene. And by "too good" I just think she could pick her spots a little better. I don't need hands that "wave around like 4th of July sparklers." It's creates a vivid picture, yes, but does it add to the story? That said, having to cut back on the hyper-detail is a problem many young writers - including me -- would like to have. And is the case with all good fiction right, this book is heavily character-driven (of course, it has to be; it's short stories and not a novel), and the characters are plausible and realistic. What heartens me most is that publishers are still willing to take a debut collection of stories like this, as I for one am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Fallon in the future.