WINNER OF THE STORY PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY "NEWSDAY
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NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
"The Washington Post" "San Francisco Chronicle O: The Oprah Magazine The Miami Herald Publishers Weekly Kirkus Reviews"
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From the author of the beloved novel "The Giant s House "finalist for the National Book Award comes a beautiful new story collection, her first in twenty years. Laced through with the humor, the empathy, and the rare and magical descriptive powers that have led Elizabeth McCracken s fiction to be hailed as exquisite ("The New York Times Book Review"), funny and heartbreaking ("The Boston Globe"), and a true marvel ("San Francisco Chronicle"), these nine vibrant stories navigate the fragile space between love and loneliness. In Property, selected by Geraldine Brooks for "The Best American Short Stories, " a young scholar, grieving the sudden death of his wife, decides to refurbish the Maine rental house they were to share together by removing his landlord s possessions. In Peter Elroy: A Documentary by Ian Casey, the household of a successful filmmaker is visited years later by his famous first subject, whose trust he betrayed. In The Lost & Found Department of Greater Boston, the manager of a grocery store becomes fixated on the famous case of a missing local woman, and on the fate of the teenage son she left behind. And in the unforgettable title story, a family makes a quixotic decision to flee to Paris for a summer, only to find their lives altered in an unimaginable way by their teenage daughter s risky behavior.
In Elizabeth McCracken s universe, heartache is always interwoven with strange, charmed moments of joy an unexpected conversation with small children, the gift of a parrot with a bad French accent that remind us of the wonder and mystery of being alive. "Thunderstruck & Other Stories" shows this inimitable writer working at the full height of her powers.
Praise for "Thunderstruck & Other Stories"
Restorative, unforgettable. . . apowerful testament to the scratchy humor and warm intelligence of McCracken s writing. Sylvia Brownrigg, "The New York Times Book Review "(Editor s Choice)
A] bewitching and wise collection . . . playful, even joyful. "O: The Oprah Magazine"
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Stunningly beautiful . . . brilliantly moving . . . Moments of joy and pure magic flicker and pitch-perfect humor acts as a furtive SOS signal through the fog of loss. "Los Angeles Times"
Each of "Thunderstruck" s nine stories is a storm: delightful and destructive, packed with electricity, fascinating to watch unfold. "Salon"
The stories here are brilliant, funny and heartbreaking. . . . Elizabeth McCracken is a national treasure. Paul Harding, "The Wall Street Journal"
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Pure delight: one lyrical, impeccably constructed sentence after another. "Chicago Tribune"
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Beautifully wrought . . . As painstaking as a watchmaker, McCracken disassembles life down to its smallest parts. "The Boston Globe""