The collection is aptly named, as these threads run through all of the thirteen stories which take the reader from a coastal holiday resort in Mexico, to the mythical and medieval Scandinavia, abandoned mansions, and contemporary London. There are plenty of jokes too, and striking turns of phrase, as well as some weird and wonderful surrealism of detail and conception. Craig is clever about subverting expectations — I went back a couple of times and read the story again after finishing it just to see how the tale ended up where it did.

It instantly reminded me of Tell Me I'm Worthless but I feel that it felt a lot more gimmicky in this book/didn't work/wasn't necessary for this story whereas in Rumfitt's novel, it complemented the story?Each story deals, in some way, with what it means to move through the world at an angle to the perceived norm.

To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry. Both the mood and the content were very up my street, the writing style was not my favourite but still enjoyable. It is impossible not to sympathise with this violent, shame-sucking demon as it longs to tell its human friends who it really is: “I couldn’t burden them with this, could I? An ancient creature, who feasts on the shame of modern-day Londoners, struggles to fit in with friends they will long outlive. But maybe it’s something to do with living through a pandemic, it just doesn’t scare me as much as it used to… Although don’t get me wrong I am still a wimp haha.

A lot of stories here as well as being surreal fantasy horror pieces involve resolutions of this kind of inner conflict by the protagonist. Leon Craig confidently navigates real places and imaginary spaces most of us shy away from and leaves us deliciously teased, unsettled and hungry for more. Characters in this novel are forever painting profiles of others from a distance, drawing hundreds of nuances from their public poses. Craig manages to create a staggering array of different atmospheres, settings, and tones in the thirteen stories, drawing on myriad tales, cultures and tropes in quick succession, but never losing the specificity of each tale.