The Black Emerald
by Jeanne Thornton
It's hard to rate things that may or may not be well done but don't really appeal to/work for you. I did finish most of the short stories, but not the title work. A personal 2-star (it was ok!) but plus one for general literary merit. The one with the ex-boyfriend who lives in the walls was a surprise favorite, the tomato one or the Devil/God second. Re: the Devil, I have had that exact same thought about reincarnation, but Thornton definitely took it in a different direction than I would ever have thought. Unusual viewpoints and unreliable narrators are always pluses in my book.