Library Journal
7/15/05:

Published on the heels of his novel, The Inner Circle , Boyle's seventh collection continues the move away from the high-concept narrative hooks and surprise endings that characterized his earlier stories. The title comes from Tennyson's In Memoriam and refers to nature's cruelty and indifference to suffering. In some of these tales, the predators are animals; in others, human. In the title story, a man adopts a vicious African cat in order to impress a sexy cocktail waitress. Substance abuse is an underlying theme throughout. In the frightening “Here Comes,” for instance, a man tries to adjust to his new life as a homeless drunk, while in “Up Against the Wall”—clearly an autobiographical tale, catching Boyle in an unusual confessional mode—a young teacher stranded in rural New York is recruited to the heroin lifestyle. This strong collection will delight Boyle's longtime fans and win him converts. For public and academic libraries.—Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law Sch. Lib., Los Angeles.