"These character-driven stories love reality but hate sumptuous descriptions, they sniff out human inconsistencies but do not moralize over them, they speak with humorous lightheartedness but follow the paradox to its bitter source. Petty businessmen, musicians, compulsive liars, support workers, junkies, former military, tram drivers, jailbirds, retirees, undertakers, women, men, children: the palette of characters is amazing and Ludmil Todorov elegantly enters their minds without overstaying his welcome. The stories are all situated in present-day Bulgaria, but being interested in human relationships and not in political overviews, nothing could be further from the journalistic cliché. What we have here is more like a chocolate box - you help yourself to a candy, just to get the taste of it, and very soon the whole box is gone." -- Kristin Dimitrova, Bulgarian author, translator, University lecturer
