Maggie Brown & Others: Stories - Peter Orner

nIn this powerful and virtuosic collection of interlocking stories, each one a marvel of concision and compassion (Washington Post), a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and master of his form (New York Times) takes the short story to new heights. nThrough forty-four compressed gems, Peter Orner, a writer who doesn't simply bring his characters to life, he gives them souls (NYT Book Review), chronicles people whose lives are at inflection points, gripping us with a series of defining moments. nWhether it's a first date that turns into a late-night road trip to a s ance in an abandoned airplane hangar, or a family's memories of the painful mystery surrounding a neglected uncle's demise, Orner reveals how our fleeting decisions between kindness and abandonment chase us across time.

These stories are anchored by a poignant novella that delivers not only the joys and travails of a forty-year marriage, but an entire era in a working-class New England city. Bristling with the crackling energy of life itself, Maggie Brown & Others marks the most sustained achievement to date for a master of his form (New York Times).n n

• A New York Times Notable Book n
• A Chicago Tribune Notable Book n
• An Oprah Magazine Best Book of 2019 n
• Kirkus Reviews Best Short Fiction of 2019 n
• Longlisted for the Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Prize