"Told in the voices of characters of all ages, these tales explore desire and heartache, loss and discovery, jolting violence, and the inexorable tug toward love at all costs. A bookseller's unspoken love for his employee rises to the surface, a neglected teenage boy finds much-needed nurturing from an unlikely pair of college students, a girl's loss of innocence at the hand's of her employer's son becomes a catalyst for strength and confidence, and...

"Stories from a lost American classic "in the same arena as Alice Munro" (Lydia Davis). "In the field of short fiction, Lucia Berlin is one of America's best kept secrets. That's it. Flat out. No mitigating conditions."--Paul Metcalf. A Manual for Cleaning Women compiles the best work of the legendary short-story writer Lucia Berlin. With her trademark blend of humor and melancholy, Berlin crafts miracles from the everyday--uncovering moments of grace...

A collection of short stories by the "Queen of Suspense" features her first published short story, "Stowaway." In 1974, Clark began writing a novella inspired by the dark side of the New York City fashion world. Now that story, "Death wears a beauty mask," is available for the first time, in this collection short stories full of chills and heart-pounding drama.

A dazzling collection of short stories from the New York Times bestselling author of Prep, American Wife, and Eligible Curtis Sittenfeld has established a reputation as a sharp chronicler of the modern age who humanizes her subjects even as she skewers them. Now, with this first collection of short fiction, her "astonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers' heads" ( The Washington Post ) is showcased like never before....

Cabbages and Kings' is one of renowned author William Sidney Porter's most famous collections of short stories. Better known by his literary pseudonym 'O. Henry', the collection was inspired by the time he spent hiding out from the US authorities in Honduras. The narrative focuses on the fictional Republic of Anchuria and is a collective tale of corruption and political intrigue. 'Cabbages and Kings' is also the source of the now famous and much-used...

A collection of stories spanning centuries of time in mercurial Florida examines the decisions and connections behind life-changing events in characters ranging from two abandoned sisters to a conflicted family woman.

"Along with completely original material, this new collection is a compilation of the best of Dennis Lehane's previously published short fiction, including "Until Gwen," which was adapted for the stage in 2005 and appears in this book as the play Coronado. By turns suspenseful, surreal, romantic, and tragically comic, these powerful tales journey headlong into the heart of our national myths-- and reveal taht the truth awaiting us there is not what...

A collection of short stories features tales of a young girl who plays caretaker to mysterious guests at the cottage behind her house and a former teen idol who becomes involved in a bizarre reality show.

From the best-selling author of Claire of the Sea Light and Brother, I'm Dying, a long-awaited return to fiction: a gorgeous collection of stories about community, family and love; about the forces that pull us together or drive us apart--a book rich with vividly imagined characters, hard-won wisdom, and humanity. In these eight stories by widely acclaimed, prizewinning author Danticat--some of which have appeared The New Yorker--a romance unexpectedly...

An unprecedented collective features pairings by 23 best-selling and critically acclaimed suspense writers, including John Sandford, F. Paul Wilson and R. L. Stine, who in short high-action stories pit their most popular characters against one another.