I am a fan of Joan Hohl's work but this is way outside her normal release of work. It is completely different stylistically and the tone does not match that of any of her other works. The author does have a note stating that the stories were written early in her career and in the early 1980s but I do not believe that is the problem with the stories. Please be aware if you are a Joan Hohl reader these are very different from her other works.