Sex as a motif
The stories, as the title suggests, have sexuality as a thematic connection between them. This happens through the use of motif. Various aspects of sexuality are depicted in vignettes about various people so that the portrait isn't really of any one character, but of one shared experience that all the human characters are encountering in various ways. Some of these include a young gal pushing through her sexual repression, allowing herself to do what she wants. Then, there are the loves lost in "A Quick One" and "A story of folding and unfolding." There are plenty more.
Relationship and intimacy
Instead of letting sex be a universal reference to intimacy, the book divides the two, showing in stories like "Text for the day" and "Jenny Robertson your friend is not coming" that sometimes intimacy is more clear in friendships than in sexual partnerships. The stories show yet another motif, intermingled with sexuality which is like sex but isn't sexual. It is plain intimacy and trust between people. The symbolism in stories like "The unthinkable happens to people every day," points clearly to the fact that humans are connected in deep, mysterious ways that are far more intimate and important than what we do with our bodies.
Death and loss
In stories like "Cold Iron," and "A story of folding and unfolding," human relationship is shown in a painful light. Because of death, the universal end of all love affairs is mourning a lost person. Whether it is the death of a parent, like in Anne's case, or the death of a spouse, the pain of death and loss is poised as the thematic question, using realistic vignettes as symbolic suggestions. The man folding the lingerie of his now deceased wife is a painful symbol of the permanence of death, because the lingerie is designed to elicit his desire, but the sexual arousal is just a painful reminder of her death.
River Phoenix as an allusion
Their is a fourth-wall break in the stories, because of an allusion to a real-life celebrity, River Phoenix. The story is "Scary," and the frightening aspect of the plot is the strange metanarrative of death in the story. In real life, River Phoenix had just died when the book was published, only a couple of years prior. So the obsession that the host, Richard, has for the troubled actor is an indication of a desire for death—the reader can see this more clearly than the party can. Also, Tom's ex is dating her, a sign that he has lost her to the void. It makes him question death because of the permanence of their breakup.
School and youth
Many of the stories also share the symbol of school as a sign for youth and young life and innocence. It is a beautiful symbol, spread throughout the collection, always in the background of the stories. The symbol is clearly nostalgic and melancholic, pointing to the forward motion of time and the horror of aging and dying. When the widower folds the lingerie of his recently deceased wife, he contemplates when they met—she was a student. Then, several stories are of school-age kids, and the collection ends on this note in "The world with love." They two girlfriends reminisce about a crazy teacher from back in school.
