The Secret Goldfish

Description

Readers familiar with David Means‘ electrifying work in the Los Angeles Times Book Prize — winning Assorted Fire Eventswill recognize his extraordinary vision in The Secret Goldfish. A trio of erotically charged kids goes on a crime spree in Michigan; a goldfish bears witness to the demise of a Connecticut marriage; and an extremely unlucky man is stalked by lightning. This dazzling new collection reveals Means’ rare talent for the short story and establishes his place among the American masters.

Achingly intelligent….[David Means] stands among our most gifted younger writers.” “David Means knows his way around the English language. [The Secret Goldfish] aims toward a mythology of the modern heartland…so lovely I want to quote the whole thing.” “Vivid…Means’s last collection was a finalist for the National Book Award…the stories here are just as unsentimental and tightly wound.” “A darkly comic cache of stories . . . impressively inventive.” “With stunning simplicity, Means offers 15 stirring portraits of tragedy, loss, and love.” “An imaginative and penetrating collection.” “Riveting…it is Means’ signature talent to view the lives of his characters, and life itself, from somewhere just beyond…” “Lean, agile…There’s not a cheap emotion or a predictable conclusion to be found…humane [and] unaccountably lovely.” “A splendid short story collection…from one of the most original writers of short fiction working today Crystalline.” “We care for the characters as if we have known and loved and detested them forever…An exceptional book.” “Means is a courageous writer, intelligent and funny and humane…the pleasure in reading THE SECRET GOLDFISH is tremendous.”

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