Amazon.com's customer reviews are always a great read, not so much for the advice, but as an unedited transcript of public nuttiness. While the negative reviews are usually the best, you'll rarely see reactions as divided and intense as for Aimee Bender's debut book of short stories. These surreal tales of loss and lust inspire both adoration and venom. You can almost see the spit flying as one reviewer types: "Kafka she ain't!" In the end, the conversation makes for fascinating reading. And, in my humble opinion, so do Bender's stories.

Tony Peltier