This collection of stories has some real gems: funny, self-referential, and full of familiar types who you know you met ("We couldn't possibly have met the same guy, right?!"). I personally love the meta-fiction aspects of much of Wallace's writing, as it puts a spotlight on what it means to tell a story and how we all have these stories and constructs of self running around inside our heads; sometimes reading Wallace makes me feel like I need psychotherapy, but in a good way, a "there's so much that is interesting and dense about our brains" kind of way. But then some of the stories are just way too drawn out, more overly wrought meditations on a particular idea than actual narrative, and five pages in I get the point and want to move on. The stories in this collection that have a narrative are the best, and, if it were just them, this book would get 5 stars. "Forever Overhead" and the 4 "Brief Interviews" of the title are the best; though the 2 "Adult World"s and "Octet" (despite its ramble-y, self-consciousness) are also great. Luckily, it's a collection of short stories, and you can pick and choose!