Although not obvious at first blush, the repeated theme connecting the stories in this charming debut collection is the symbiotic relationship between callow youth and older, sometimes wiser, father figures. On offer here is deceptively lighthearted fare often underscored by a more serious message, for those who care to dig a little deeper. And the author, who only identifies himself as KJ, commands a seemingly limitless breadth of literary styles.

Certainly the highlight of the book has to be the delicately humorous "A Mischief of Monumental Proportions," in which the author creates an atmosphere that might be described as "Jane Austen-lite." But for my money, the prickly, gossipy denizens of the hamlet of Bradbury (with surnames like Blessing-Derby, Mumford and the Reverend Picklenose) seem to hearken straight out of Elizabeth Gaskell’s quirky tales of Cranford. "Oasis," which takes place over the course of one lonely evening in a roadside honky-tonk in some dusty desert backwater, is a complete 180 in terms of tone and atmosphere. The grizzled barkeep, sage farmer Emmett and the silent, exotic young man known only as Crystal cast their drowsy, sensuous spell over the reader as much as they do the narrator, a world weary traveling salesman. While I found aspects of this one a bit too pat to be believable, overall the mood outweighed any plot contrivances. Taken together, these two stories represent the ends of KJ’s impressive stylistic spectrum. In between, there is a humorous short piece (from which the book gets its title), a contemporary tale of upper-crusty British noblesse oblige ("Horsehair, Mettle and Would") and a deeply romantic story about a first childhood crush captured for the ages by the hand of a perceptive painter. Throughout, the author exhibits a knowledge of music and art that enriches the stories without, for the most part, overwhelming them.

Nearly every story is a romanticized version of a young man seeking the love, guidance, patronage and/or support from another, usually older, man. Whether he is merely a charitable donor, a benefactor, or beyond that, a lover or father. It should be noted that even the longest story ("The Aroma of Coffee") while ostensibly about a high school romance, includes the very telling line "For me, the sun rose and set on my father," and its climactic scene involves that same father’s explosive and surprising response in his son’s time of need.

Despite an engaging premise, this was the only story that didn’t quite work for me. After my enjoyment of the shorter pieces, I was eager to see what KJ could do with more room to stretch, but much of the details here felt rushed and perfunctory. For example, conversations between the two main character involved too much telling and not enough showing. When Patrick states that he has told his young lover, Chris, everything about himself , both good and bad, as a reader, I felt cheated to not be privy to at least part of those conversations, rather than just being told second-hand that they shared secrets. It was distancing and a bit problematic. After all, these were likable and interesting kids that I wanted to get to know better and I often felt as if the author was standing between me and them. I think this particular story might be better served if it were re-worked into a short novel.

The last few pages of the book consist of essays/ruminations that amount to little more than glorified diary entries. Not that I disagreed with the sentiments, but I don’t feel they added anything to a book of mostly very clever, entertaining short stories.

All in all, this is a delightful and rich collection. I will be eager to see what the writer has up his sleeve in the future. ( )