Hit Parade of Tears

Started off very strong but then the last stories just dragged on and didn't feel particularly engaging.

I really liked the first collection of Izumi Suzuki's short stories that came out in English a couple of years ago (Terminal Boredom). Hit Parade of Tears, the second collection, is just as good.

Suzuki, who died in 1986 at the age of just 37, was a pioneer of Japanese “punky” science fiction. Most of these stories are simultaneously quite sad and very funny, and despite being steeped in Seventies Japanese counterculture, somehow still feel very fresh today.

I loved this collection. I actually spent a great deal of time reading about Izumi Suzuki's life before I even started it, and think she was just as (if not more) interesting than her writing. But we are talking punk scifi here. The stories are not boring. LOL.
My Guy, Trial Witch and Full of Malice (the first 3 stories) were all 5 star reads for me. I had a couple of stories I just didn't understand. I even reread the one and I still didn't get it.
Hit Parade of Tears was a sold 4 star read. Overall the collection is awesome. I'm not sure yet whether the stories will stick with me. Hopefully.