"...that great emptiness descended, as though the very meaninglessness of existence creeps inside and unfolds within like an endless bare landscape."

This is a pretty apt description of these stories. The language is simple and direct, the situations  described seemingly mundane, and yet many of the stories feel as if violence could erupt at any time. It's amazing how much Askildsen writes between the lines – much of the power in these compact stories come from what remains unsaid or unwritten. They mostly describe the moments in relationships, romantic or otherwise, where the parties involved find themselves overcome with discontent and are mostly impotent in confronting it. 

These stories apparently date from between 1953-2015 (judging by the copyright info), and I really wish there was some indication as to when each was written – some feel anachronistic without this context. Whether these stories are absurdly humorous, depressing, or both is probably in the eye of the beholder.