by Adam Haslett
First published 2010
An elderly inventor burns with manic energy as he tries to bridge the gulf between himself and his estranged gay son. Their fractured relationship mirrors the broken connections throughout these nine stories. An orphaned boy manipulates a violent classmate into increasingly dangerous acts. A refined woman living in a care facility becomes the unlikely confidante of a teenage volunteer struggling with first love. Each character carries profound loss yet discovers unexpected reservoirs of resilience. Haslett writes with surgical precision about people whose lives seem closed off from the world. He reveals the hidden depths beneath their quiet desperation. The stories pulse with both grief and the small acts of courage that allow people to continue living. These characters don't find easy redemption, but they find something more valuable: the strength to endure.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fractured-relationships, hidden-depths
256 pages · Kindle Edition · Vintage Digital