After reading Reasons to Live my expectations of an Amy Hempel collection is high. At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom has some stellar stories, but is also dominated by brief portrait pieces, flash fiction. This isn't a surprise given Hempel's tight style but a piece like "Lead Us Not Into Penn Station" just could've had so much more, and in the vein of so much of this short fiction it comes across as a blip rather than an impactful narrative. I wanted more from her and therefore in my bitter anger and spite I deem to give the collection in its entirety 3 stars instead of 5. ( )