A Box of Matches is a return-to-form for Baker. Like his first two novels, The Mezzanine and Room Temperature, it is a novel of minutia, filled to the brim with obsessive detail steeped in keen observation.

As with the previous books, there is no plot per se. This, however, is not a liability, but rather a strength of Baker's writing. He makes the reader more aware of sensation and place, and that is a worthwhile accomplishment. Although A Box of Matches doesn't really hold up to The Mezzanine, it is at least as good as Baker's other books. Recommended.