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Joy : and 52 other very short stories / Erin McGraw.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Berkeley, California : Counterpoint, 2019Edition: First hardcover editionDescription: 290 pages ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781640092082
  • 1640092080
Uniform titles:
  • Short stories. Selections
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
America -- Comfort (1) -- Comfort (2) -- Compliments -- The tenth student -- Second sight -- Phantom -- Cloth -- Friendship -- Hallelujah day -- Haircut -- Rock and roll -- L.A. -- Before -- Spice -- Learning -- Hope -- Breaking glass -- Sympathy -- Ava Gardner goes home -- Law and order -- Love -- Management -- Snitch -- Edits -- Hello from an old friend -- Cat -- Nobody happy -- Soup (1) -- Soup (2) -- Soup (3) -- Song -- Fat -- Pebble -- Pariah -- Priest -- Artist -- Parable -- Happiness -- Dogs -- Job -- Wedding gown -- Joy -- Peru -- Necropolis -- Honor -- Bucket (1) -- Bucket (2) -- Cliché -- Nutcracker -- Stingers -- Teeth -- Prayer.
Summary: "Claire Messud described Erin McGraw's last collection of stories as "at once laugh-out-loud funny and utterly serious, [exploring] life's profundity through its details." This is even more true with McGraw's new collection, Joy. In these very short stories, narrators step out of themselves to explain their lives to us, sometimes defensively, sometimes regretfully, other times deceitfully. Voices include those of the impulsive first-time murderer, the depressed pet sitter, the assistant of Patsy Cline, the anxiety-riddled new mother, the aged rock-and-roller, the girlfriend of your husband--human beings often (incredibly) unaware of the turning points staring them in the face. Crossing time, states, class, and religions, McGraw's stories are on the edge, causing you to wince even as you laugh. And McGraw will draw you to a deep need to read some sentences aloud--a sweet voice, a shrewd insight, some uneasy charm."-- Provided by publisher.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Fiction McGraw, Erin Available 33111009326139
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"McGraw is wise and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, with a seventh sense for the perfect turn of phrase . . . This quintessential collection of stories serves as an homage to the form while showcasing McGraw's stunning talent and deep empathy for the idiosyncrasies, small joys, and despairs of human nature." -- Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)

In Joy , narrators step out of themselves to explain their lives to us, sometimes defensively, sometimes regretfully, other times deceitfully. Voices include those of the impulsive first-time murderer, the depressed pet sitter, the assistant of Patsy Cline, the anxiety-riddled new mother, the aged rock-and-roller, the girlfriend of your husband--human beings often (incredibly) unaware of the turning points staring them in the face.

"How can stories this brief be so satisfying? . . . [McGraw] deals with the profound, the dire, the mundane, and the ridiculous, paying particular attention to relationships between parents and children, siblings, spouses, criminals, and their victims. While some stories are meant purely to amuse, many are intense and beautiful . . . Fifty-three gems that demonstrate all the things a short story can do. Wow." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Claire Messud described Erin McGraw's last collection of stories as "at once laugh-out-loud funny and utterly serious, [exploring] life's profundity through its details." This is even more true with McGraw's new collection, Joy. In these very short stories, narrators step out of themselves to explain their lives to us, sometimes defensively, sometimes regretfully, other times deceitfully. Voices include those of the impulsive first-time murderer, the depressed pet sitter, the assistant of Patsy Cline, the anxiety-riddled new mother, the aged rock-and-roller, the girlfriend of your husband--human beings often (incredibly) unaware of the turning points staring them in the face. Crossing time, states, class, and religions, McGraw's stories are on the edge, causing you to wince even as you laugh. And McGraw will draw you to a deep need to read some sentences aloud--a sweet voice, a shrewd insight, some uneasy charm."-- Provided by publisher.

America -- Comfort (1) -- Comfort (2) -- Compliments -- The tenth student -- Second sight -- Phantom -- Cloth -- Friendship -- Hallelujah day -- Haircut -- Rock and roll -- L.A. -- Before -- Spice -- Learning -- Hope -- Breaking glass -- Sympathy -- Ava Gardner goes home -- Law and order -- Love -- Management -- Snitch -- Edits -- Hello from an old friend -- Cat -- Nobody happy -- Soup (1) -- Soup (2) -- Soup (3) -- Song -- Fat -- Pebble -- Pariah -- Priest -- Artist -- Parable -- Happiness -- Dogs -- Job -- Wedding gown -- Joy -- Peru -- Necropolis -- Honor -- Bucket (1) -- Bucket (2) -- Cliché -- Nutcracker -- Stingers -- Teeth -- Prayer.

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