This is a charming collection of essays and reportage by a writer of great sensitivity and insight. He covers a wide range of subjects in some quite short and some more extended essays, all very readable and thought provoking. He is able to take familiar aspects of NZ life, be it Arcoroc mugs, Norman Kirk, an Elvis impersonator, and make the reader see them through fresh eyes. Set largely in small town Wairarapa and around Wellington, it's not at all constrained by the local setting, but has terrific general appeal.