Justin Taylor is clearly inspired by the short fiction of Raymond Carver (via Hemingway), but he isn't just some douchey kid who think he's a lot better than he is. There are some stories in here when the settings and characters were just a tad too up to date and similar to myself or people I know, to the point where it made me uncomfortable. Not that this is a criticism, but Taylor clearly knows what and who he is writing about.

The stories are mostly about people age 16 to 24 who are lost in their own lives, and while that seems extremely general, the stories range a great deal in the specific topics they address, and don't even necessarily stay within the real world to deal with them. Some of the works are overwrought and one or two are downright boring, but the ones that are good, are excellent. Definitely worth a read, and an author to keep an eye on.