"It was all very different from my previous fiction."
Having no idea about the content of this book before opening its pages other than a familiarity with Mantel's Wolf Hall , award winning historical fiction, I was intrigued to find it contained a strange mix of contemporary short stories.
The perplexing title stems from the final story, which, while not my favourite, delivered a dark and interesting tale. One of the tales that I found particularly harrowing (and brilliant nonetheless) was The Heart Fails Without Warning which brings the horror of anorexia to the fore. I also particularly enjoyed Harley Street, particularly in its descriptions of the sterility of working in a doctor's surgery (mind you I have no direct experience of this).
At its best the book recalls Roald Dahl's dark humour and for me, that's where it succeeds. Some of the stories failed to resonate with me, perhaps they deserve a second look - it had been a long week.
4 out of 5 kids will do anything for a puppy.
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