In a climate where every clued-up member of the ‘alternative’ brigade is pronouncing ‘No Logo’ to be their bible because ‘Thom Yorke said it was good’, this small treasure of a book is a breath of daisy-scented fresh air. Oh, did I mention it’s destined for cult status, too?

As all the most rewarding reads are, this book satisfies on so many different levels. It can be seen as a bit of light ‘toilet reading’ or as a deeply affecting account of modern love. There’s the irony of ‘Laughing’ or plain daft humour of ‘Pieces’ or the disturbing ‘Coping’. All are exemplary examples of the wildly fluctuating feelings of love.

What’s more, this is written by a man. With the likes of Fred Durst and Eminem currently displaying the less thoughtful aspects of the male psyche, ‘Anthropology’ is a timely reminder to women out there that not all of us blokes have drowned in a pool of our own testosterone.

Certainly, 101 stories all 101 words long and all about men in love is a tad on the gimmicky side but isn’t art allowed to be a little pretentious? And art is what this is, for Dan Rhodes has managed to cover so many emotional bases in a particularly limited genre. Over all, this book is positive proof of the power of the short story.