Finished the stories in Its Beginning to Hurt. At first, they seemed like variations on a single story but about midway through, there was a bit more variety.

I liked the very Jamesian Annals of the Honorary Secretary and Oh Death, not Jamesian at all.
( )

I felt like these stories were decent up to a point, but tended to run out of gas around what should've been the climax. The protagonists were all pretty dislikable, too. A blurb on the back called it unflinching, but really I just found it sort of unpleasant.

"Caterpillars" was the best, though it also disgusted me. ( )

Masterful.

I can't settle on favorites, but the two saddest are "Cranley Meadows" and "Lime Pickle." ( )

James Lasdun keeps you interested, in a slightly twisted manner. His short stories are the whirling inside our heads, our constant doubts, our constant anxiety, our over-thinking every detail of our lives. His stories are not so much about the people themselves, as we never truly get invested in caring about them because the people are overcome by their problems, their thoughts, their worries.

Its an interesting look at how we all function, but personally I'd rather read stories that make you care about the people and what they're going through... and Lasdun doesn't achieve that. His stories are about the mind, not the soul. Its a collection worth reading, but if you read to escape everyday life, this isn't the book for you. ( )