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Short stories may not be everyone's cup of tea. Sometimes, particularly with first time authors, there is an annoying tendency to be overly experimental. Not so with Alexander MacLeod's stunningly assured debut. True he has genetic 'form' in that he is the son of novelist and short story writer [[:Categry:Alistair MacLeod|Alistair MacLeod]], but even so, the quality of this collection, is remarkable. The collection of seven stories is not overly themed, although certain issues and concerns do reappear, but what binds the stories together is a very human approach to adversity.
The collection kicks off with ''Miracle Mile'', a story of a young athlete prior to what he has determined will be his last race. His obsessional devotion to athletics is the first of a number of stories that feature characters that are in some way obsessed, either in the form of an activity such as here, or later in terms of phobias about water, driving or in one case a character who is a recovering alcoholic. The narrator's passion and devotion to the subject is completely convincing and the concept of a talented runner brings to mind a suitable metaphor for the whole book. The author appears to tell each story with the same apparent effortlessness that an athlete shows, but all the time you are aware that there is a kick just waiting to happen. He is a natural story-teller.
