Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned

Really like. “Retreat” was probably my favorite.

Don't judge this book by the cover- that cover art is ridiculous but the stories are great.

I picked this up because David Sedaris recommended it at his reading. Sedaris said he really enjoyed Tower's turns of phrase, and there are some amazing descriptions in here–e.g. a baby pigeon brought in by a cat “was pink, nearly translucent, with magenta cheeks and lavender ovals around the eyes. It looked like a half-cooked eraser with dreams of someday becoming a prostitute.” I mean, WTF, what kind of person comes up with that line? It's perfect.

The stories themselves are sharp and excellently characterized snippets at mostly sad people. Reading them tended to make me feel slightly bad about myself as I connected with their base, selfish instincts.