Most of these short stories are set in Clacton, one near Winnipeg and some at unspecified locations. They are about young (or youngish) people struggling to survive, in one case in a post-apocalyptic world. The protagonists are invariably selfish and unpleasant. You will get the feeling that Camilla Grudova does not have an optimistic, or even hopeful, view of humanity - but that said, she has the ability to hook you into reading each story.
As he had planned, Bence did beat Taras to death with a mallet the night before he was supposed to leave, and left in his place with a packed bag. He posted a letter to his girlfriend saying he would send her a fish as soon as he could. He was intercepted at the airport: one of the photos he had stuck over Taras had fallen off. There was no glue on the city - it had all been eaten - and he had stuck it on with some leftover gelatin from the pig. He was put in jail and swiftly executed not just for the death of Taras, but also unjustly for that of Marian, who'd died in his bedroom tent from the head wound, the hat soaked through and crusted with blood.
