A collection of 100 short pieces-- some not even a page long-- full of subtle humor and surprising incidents. They are grouped into seven themes.

Originally published: United Kingdom : Granta Books, 2005.

Town and country -- Dead roads -- Election -- The current event -- Claim -- Opening -- Copycats -- Town life -- Rivalry -- Get over it --Composure -- Silence -- The pipeline -- Leaves -- Mystery and confusion -- Shortcut -- Witnesses -- Switch -- The wristwatch -- Underlined passages -- The Mary -- Intruder -- Trick --Crisis -- Twilight -- Familiar objects -- Fingers -- Plausible -- Lucid -- Virgins -- Twins -- Indirect path -- The bottle -- The hydrangea -- A dream explained -- Lies and blame -- The manuscript -- The belt sander -- Film star's dog -- Justice -- Encounter -- The letters -- Ex-car -- Almost -- Treasure -- The Bureau -- The cement mailbox -- Trust Jesus -- Kevin -- Terrorist -- Directions -- Distance -- Work and money -- Sixty dollars -- The pork chop -- Tool -- Last meal -- Too well -- The expert -- The uniform -- Master -- Money isn't everything -- Parents and children -- Lost -- Wake -- Expecting -- The mothers -- The fathers -- Sons -- Different -- The denim touch -- Mice -- Tea -- Deaf child area -- The branch -- Kiss -- Coupon -- Artists and professors -- The obelisk of interlaken -- The nuns -- Short -- Conceptual -- Two professors -- The hollow door -- Imposter -- Mikeworld -- Meteorite -- Lefties -- Doom and madness -- Scence -- Monkeys -- The names -- Crackpots -- New dead -- Koan -- Shelter -- Big idea -- Live rock nightly -- Intact -- Spell -- The mad folder -- Sickness -- Unlikely -- Smoke -- Flowers -- Heirloom -- Brevity.