I'm a fan of Patrick Mcgrath so I thought I'd try this book of his short stories. They're good, but I definitely prefer his novels. Some of the stories in this collection are worth a peek, though. Try "Hand of a Wanker", a funny horry story in which a compulsive masturbator cuts off his own hand which then itself goes about continuing to seek sexual experiences. If you're interested in insect sex, give "The E(ROT)ic Potato" a try. In that story, a fly tries to seduce a dragonfly...and succeeds in a most unusal venue! "The Skewer" is an odd story in which a man enucleates an eye of his own because he repeatedly sees miniature psychiatrists. This story has an interesting and unexpected twist ending. If you like horror, some of it tongue-in-cheek, pick up this volume, but then do go on to sample some of this author's novels, such as Spider or Dr. Haggard's Disease. McGrath is a talented but underappreciated author. It's definitely worth becoming more familiar with his work. ( )

I re-read this recently and was struck by how mainstream "Asylum" seems in comparison. This is Patrick McGrath at his roots, deftly using the short story form to explore sexuality, madness, and problematic gender identity. He also seems to be interested in "the body" as both physical and psychological, internal and external, and alive and dead. Definitely worth reading for his fans. ( )