The stories are delicately written, in a range of styles and with unnerving realism and precision - it is easy to imagine Barnes sweating for hours over a single sentence.
But for all that, it didn't do anything for me. I can recognise that the stories are good, but I ended the book no richer than when I started. This is often the case with me when I read short stories. There have only ever been two exceptions - Kate Atkinson's Not the End of the World and Julian Barnes' A History of the World in 10½ Chapters, which is almost a novel.
Perhaps I am just not wired to enjoy short stories, or not smart enough. But then there are those two exceptions. Shrug.
So although I didn't especially enjoy this book, I am not saying that I don't recommend it.
Three stars (out of five)