First published 1996
A construction worker nurses wounds that go deeper than broken bones. A woman discovers that finding love can be more frightening than living without it. A father watches his family drift away and wonders if he caused the distance. These are the people who populate Andre Dubus III's fourteen stories, men and women caught between wanting connection and fearing what it might cost them. They work blue collar jobs, live in small apartments, and carry injuries both visible and hidden. Some drink too much. Others pray for strength they're not sure they possess. Each story captures a moment when these characters must choose between retreating further into isolation or risking the vulnerability that real intimacy demands. Dubus writes with the clear eye of someone who understands that courage often looks like simply showing up for another person, even when you're barely holding yourself together.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, found-family
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
234 pages · Hardcover · Knopf