Guatemalan Rhapsody
A vibrant debut story collection--poignant, unflinching, and immersive--masterfully moving between sharp wit and profound tenderness, Guatemalan Rhapsody offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of an ever-changing country, the people who claim it as home, and those who no longer doRanging from a custodian at an underfunded college to a medicine man living in a temple dedicated to San Simon, the patron saint of alcohol and cigarettes, the characters in these stories find themselves at defining moments in their lives, where sacrifices may be required of them, by them, or for them.In "Saint Dismas," four orphaned brothers pose as part of a construction crew, stopping cars along the highway and robbing anyone foolish enough to hit the brakes. In "Heart Sleeves," two wannabe tattoo artists take part in a contest, where one of them hopes to win not only first place but also the heart of his best friend's girlfriend. And, in "Fight Sounds," a character who fancies himself a Don Juan is swept up in the commotion of an American film crew shooting a movie in his tiny town, until the economic and sexual politics of the place are turned on their head.Across this collection, Lemus's characters test their loyalty to family, community, and country, illuminating the ties that both connect us and constrain us. Guatemalan Rhapsody explores how we journey from the circumstances that we are forged by, and whether the ability to change our fortunes lies in our own hands or in those of another. Revealing the places where beauty, desperation, love, violence, and hope exist simultaneously, Jared Lemus's debut establishes him as a major new voice in the form.
The Vanishing Point
From the bestselling novelist, travel writer, and "master of the short story" (NPR) comes a brilliant new collection.The stories in Paul Theroux's fascinating new collection are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life's vanishing points--a moment when seemingly all lines running through one's life converge, and one can see no farther, yet must deal with the implications. With the insight, subtlety, and empathy that has long characterized his work, Theroux has written deeply moving stories about memory, longing, and the passing of time, reclaiming his status, once again, as a master of the form.
One Sun Only
A stunning collection of stories exploring love and art, luck and loss, from the "invaluable" (George Saunders) author of How to Behave in a Crowd and The Material "These stories don't close so much as continue inside you. They tilt the world and don't set it back, leaving you to live with the shift."--Morgan Talty, author of Fire Exit and Night of the Living Rez A young woman takes stock after the burglary of her apartment. A teenager becomes obsessed with the obituaries in a weekly magazine. Grandchildren mourn the grandparents who loved them and the grandparents who didn't. Painters and almost-painters try to distinguish Good Art from Bad Art. People grapple with life-altering illness, unrequited love, and promises they have every intention of keeping. Some win the lottery. Others don't. In these sinewy, thoughtful stories, celebrated New Yorker contributor Camille Bordas delves into the mysteries of life, death, and all that happens in between. At once darkly funny and poignantly self-aware, Bordas's writing offers a window into our shared, flawed humanity without insisting on a perfect understanding of our experiences. With her first collection, which gathers previously unpublished stories alongside work originally featured in The New Yorker and The Paris Review, Bordas cements her reputation as a master of the form.
About, Above, Around
Winner of The 2024 George Garrett Fiction Prize, selected by Kaveh Akbar "We ought to say a feeling of and, a feeling of if, a feeling of but, and a feeling of by," William James writes. In About, Above, Around, fifty prepositions reveal the subtle syntax of our inner lives, offering a new yet ancient vocabulary for charting how feeling moves within and between and around us. Kaveh Akbar, selecting the collection for the George Garrett Prize, says: "About, Above, Around is thrillingly ambitious and deliciously readable, a remarkable vortex of place and mind and spirit illuminating how our lives are shaped, and how we're held within them. Mayer has given us one of the most dexterous, impressive books I've read in ages."
The Purple Decades
The essential collection of Tom Wolfe's writing on a turning-point era in modern American culture, newly repackaged and reissued with the original introduction by Joe David Bellamy. It was in the 1960s and 1970s--those "purple decades"--that Tom Wolfe rose to fame as one of the late-twentieth-century pioneers of American literature. He became the foremost chronicler of the gaudiest period in American history, much of which is spread out before us in these selections from nine of his books. Wolfe's innovations in style, his feats as a reporter, and his insights into modern American life dominated a period of widespread experimentation in the writing of nonfiction. Wolfe's contributions to the language of the purple decades range from the phrases "the right stuff" to "radical chic," the latter of which he coined in 1970, when Leonard Bernstein gave a party for the Black Panthers in his apartment on Park Avenue; and on to "the Me Decade," as the 1970s were dubbed as soon as Wolfe's essay "The Me Decade and the Third Great Awakening" appeared in 1976. The complete texts of "The Last American Hero" and "The Me Decade and the Third Great Awakening," and long sections of "Radical Chic" and The Right Stuff, are included here in The Purple Decades. Wolfe's long piece "Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers" (included here in its entirety) provided the first insider's view of that bizarre government-sponsored rebellion known as the poverty program. Another long piece called "The Truest Sport: Jousting with Sam and Charlie" (also complete here) has become a classic work on aerial combat in Vietnam as experienced by the pilots themselves. His 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (two chapters of which appear in these pages) is recognized as the major book on the hippie movement of the 1960s. Generous selections from both From Bauhaus to Our House and The Painted Word also appear here, as well as many stories from The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, The Pump House Gang, and Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine. When Tom Wolfe's first book, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, was published in 1965, Newsweek predicted: "This will be a sharp pleasure to reread years from now, when it will bring back, like a falcon in the sky of memory, a whole world that is currently jetting and jazzing its way somewhere or other." In these pages the falcon flies with big talons, and an even bigger grin, across the first two decades of Tom Wolfe's literary career.
Are You Happy?
"Once I read the first story in Are You Happy?, I put aside everything else to savor the rest. This is a wise collection, capturing its characters swimming upstream to encounter their fates. With vivid and compassionate prose that explores the countless ways we betray and then rediscover ourselves, Lori Ostlund reminds us of the vitality of the genre."--Jai Chakrabarti, author of A Play for the End of the World and A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness Nine exquisite stories that explore class, desire, identity, and the specter of violence that looms daily over women and the LGBTQ+ community. An aspiring veterinarian survives a plane crash and starts life over in California. A woman mourns the loss of her childhood friend's innocence and rethinks justice. A queer teacher's sense of safety in the classroom is destroyed. With settings ranging from small-town Minnesota to New Mexico, from bars and bedrooms to a furniture store and a community college, Are You Happy? casts a spotlight on people who try--and often fail--to make peace with their pasts while navigating their present relationships and notions of self. In prose that is evocative and restrained, unpredictable and masterful, Lori Ostlund offers a darkly humorous and compassionate examination of America's preoccupation with loneliness, happiness, guns, and violence.
The Words of Dr. L
National Book Award finalist Karen E. Bender returns with stunning speculative stories of parents and children, together and apart, surviving near-future dystopias that feel all-too-possible--and realities that can be even stranger Grounded in both the contemporary United States and a variety of dystopias, celebrated author Karen E. Bender's otherworldly collection examines the evolving dynamics of the nuclear family during adolescence, motherhood, the empty nest, and caring for an aging parent. A young woman seeks to learn the magical words that can terminate her unwanted pregnancy. A mother discovers an extra child in her home she had forgotten about. A couple is separated from their son and encased in globes orbiting the Earth. Society develops a terrible plan to leave the burning planet for a life on Mars. Each story honors the emotional force of its situation by grappling with themes of freedom, self-definition, youth, aging, control, and power. Using settings both familiar and fantastic, Bender's work explores the ordinary in the extraordinary to discover secret, hidden truths in the lifelong connection between parents and their children.
Mosses from an Old Manse
Nathaniel Hawthorne's Mosses from an Old Manse is a rich collection of short stories that delve into the human soul's deepest recesses, exploring themes of sin, guilt, and redemption. Written during Hawthorne's residence at the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, these tales reflect the author's mastery of symbolism and his keen insight into the complexities of human nature. From the haunting tale of ""The Birthmark,"" which examines the dangers of obsession, to ""Rappaccini's Daughter,"" a story of love, science, and moral ambiguity, each story in this collection is a gem of American literature. Hawthorne's prose is characterized by its elegance and depth, drawing readers into the shadowy worlds he creates. The stories in Mosses from an Old Manse are not merely tales of the supernatural but are also profound meditations on the human condition, making them timeless in their relevance and power. This collection is a must read for anyone interested in the darker side of the human experience, as seen through the eyes of one of America's greatest writers.
Almost Perfect, but Mostly Not
Life isn't flawless-it's a patchwork of glittering highs, messy lows and the mundane in between, where even the best-laid plans can veer off course. Almost Perfect, but Mostly Not is a collection of poignant and witty short stories that uncover the cracks beneath seemingly perfect lives-and the truths that emerge from them. A man on the brink of marriage spots the love of his life on the streets of London. A successful man contemplates his date with death. A struggling artist does not want to part with the only painting that could transform his fortunes. A young woman, who has it all, finds her world crumbling. A gay man finds that his love is forbidden. A former banker, once uber-wealthy, is now a driver and has a life-changing encounter during his first week on the job. From picture-perfect relationships gone wrong to careers derailed by a misstep, these stories delve into the universal struggles with identity, love, fear and belonging. With heart and a touch of irony, Vasudha Sahgal celebrates life's imperfections in their chaotic, bittersweet charm. If you've ever laughed at your own mistakes or found joy in life's curveballs, this book is for you. After all, who needs perfect when you can have perfectly imperfect!
