First published 2026
A washed-up sitcom actor plots revenge against the coyote that killed his dog. Two young runaways plan one final adventure before they separate forever. An amateur magician attempts a deadly stunt at the local mall that spirals beyond his control. These characters populate Danny McBride's debut fiction collection, where desperate men confront their failures in increasingly bizarre circumstances. The stories unfold in settings both familiar and strange, from suburban reenactment parks that simulate life before an unnamed disaster to ordinary towns where extraordinary violence erupts without warning. Each tale follows men whose pride and delusions drive them toward tragic and comic disasters. McBride strips away the pretenses of modern masculinity to reveal the fragile egos underneath, creating stories that shift between brutal honesty and unexpected tenderness.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, american-fiction, contemporary, comedy, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: desperate-men, fragile-egos, tragic-comedy
368 pages · Hardcover · Random House
Content warnings: violence