Brookes' mixture of rumor and reality sets the table for a feast of characters leaps and bounds above the standard stereotypes of the neighbor versus nurture debate. Humor helps the collection handle the topics of loneliness, privacy, independence, dependence and isolation of those deemed unfit to be normal. The english vernacular thankfully has not been edited out but rather remains and provides a deeper cultural mystique that lends a charm missing from American or Canadian efforts of similar subject matter.