First published 2012
A writer sits in his home when an armed stranger breaks in and points a gun at his head. The intruder has one demand: tell me a story that will transport me from reality. This opening tale sets the tone for Nathan Englander's collection of surreal short stories. In another story, a compulsive liar watches in amazement as his fabrications begin manifesting in the real world. A woman discovers a zipper sewn into her boyfriend's mouth and unzips it to find an entirely different person folded inside his body. These characters navigate worlds where the impossible becomes routine, yet their emotional struggles remain deeply recognizable. A father grapples with loss, lovers face betrayal, and ordinary people confront extraordinary circumstances. Englander blends dark humor with genuine pathos as his protagonists search for connection and meaning. The stories pulse with absurdist logic while exploring universal themes of loneliness, desire, and the human need for narrative. Each tale offers both escape and confrontation, pulling readers into dreamlike scenarios that illuminate harsh truths about contemporary life.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
293 pages · Hardcover · Chatto & Windus
Content warnings: violence