This collection of short stories illuminates the particular in order to highlight the universal.
Through humor, satire and cynicism, the stories depict daunting elements of our time, from climate change ("Alarm Clock"), xenophobia ("Polarization") and the rise of white nationalism ("That Night"), inter alia. However, it does not ignore age-old themes such as relationship problems ("Somewhere Else"), the role lucrative connections/family backgrounds often play in leading to wealth and power ("Connected") and the populous's relationship with the ruling class ("The Tenants"). While it often evokes so-called big ideas, the stories are not contrived to do so, ambling into them much like a sinuous river winding southward towards the ocean.