This is the sort of writing Frank Moorhouse does best. Short stories, almost chapters but self-contained, connected by a thread. I hadn't read any of these stories but I had encountered the themes in other collections by Moorhouse, confidently reprised here. This book is about a man in his early forties reflecting on his life, his loves and his mistakes. Moorhouse's protagonist wanders the earth living the life of a sophisticate but inwardly empty. It was nice to see his character Edith (from Cold Light, Dark Palace and Grand Days), this time as a secondary character. Actually, this collection is probably the first connection with her: Grand Days was published in 1993, five years after this book was written. ( )