Among the Missing by Dan Chaon
I often feel unsatisfied by short stories. They are either too shallow (really? that’s all we get about these characters?), too gimmicky, too literary (more about words than real feelings), too easy (really? she realized life’s meaning because of the way the moon shone on the water?) or just plain brutal (yep, life is hard at times. really hard. and sometimes we fuck up. fuck up really bad. so what?). Finalist for the National Book Award, Among the Missing by Dan Chaon (pronounced “Shawn”) achieves the amazing feat of not even flirting with any of these weaknesses. In “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom” a man struggles to bear the lifelong consequences of a lie he told as a teenager–a lie the majority of us would have told. In “Prodigal” a man tries to reconcile his anger at his father with the growing realization of their similarities and the anger his own children probably feel for him. In “I Demand To Know Where You’re Taking Me” a woman is trapped between her love for her husband and her fear and disapproval of his beloved (but very disturbing) brothers. Every story’s length and events are perfectly tuned to its subject, every one has a voice both unique, credible and compelling and every one asks a very hard question and manages, astoundingly, to both speak to the question and avoid a pat answer. Buy the...The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
A woman takes her son to a museum to view her favorite painting. A bomb goes off. The painting and the boy make it out alive. The mother doesn’t. And so begins one of my favorite novels of all time. Still, I feel almost silly recommending it–if you haven’t read it already amid the press and awards, it’s probably because it’s not your type of book. But it’s so good, I can’t help it. I have to say officially–“buy it.” Get lost in hundreds of pages of Tartt’s amazing prose and riveting plot. When you finish you’ll go through withdrawal–it’s over? really?–but it’s worth it. You can always read it again next year. Buy the...Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon
A novel about mental illness, longing, guilt, and identity (theft, choice, fate, and confusion–you name it, it’s here), this book is my favorite kind–a suspenseful plot that doesn’t sacrifice any of the literary pleasures. It offers precise, original language; compelling, complex characters; a perfect match between theme and situation; and credible outcomes for every single story thread. For writers looking at the technical aspects of a novel or fans of literary thrillers and mysteries looking for a little something special in form, it showcases a notably clever structure. Read it once for pleasure, and a second time to figure out how Chaon pulled it off. (That’s pronounced “Shawn” by the way.) Buy the...Read more“The stakes are high in every story, and not one of them ends without a moment both understated and haunting. This is exactly the kind of prose a poet would write, and the kind of poetry out of which the best stories are spun.”
–Laura Kasischke, author of Mind of Winter