Christopher Palmer

High Noon at Starbucks This collection is notable for its variety, its fascination with different people encountered and dramatized, its warm interest in human oddity and diversity. Stories are set in Melbourne, Florida, Hong Kong, and Switzerland and there are lots of close observations of places, clothes, and rooms. There are acute depictions of the fear and uncertainty that is part of being ill. The central character is often surprised by discoveries about people he thought he had understood. Most readers will find a story they particularly liked; I particularly liked ‘Balderstone’s Salute’.