Short stories are often disappointing, and this collection is no exception. What a pity that so much strength and force has been put into a book that lacks a plan and presents too many inconclusive pieces.

It is claimed that there is great diversity of subject and situation used by the seven authors writing in and about the same city – our fair capital. Perhaps this can be partially justified in that bureaucratic bungling is approached in varied ways. At the same time, there is an unfortunate feeling that the book has come about as the result of an exercise given to an adult education class in creative writing with remarks to be found in margins: ‘Well done, but not quite good enough for publication. Try again.’