This highly acclaimed collection of short stories by American writers
contains only the best literary art of the past four decades.
Editors Raymond Carver and Tom Jenks have selected fiction that "tells a
story"-and tells it with a masterful handling of language, situation,
and insight.
But what is so special about this volume is that it mirrors our age, our
concerns, and our lives. Whether it's the end of a marriage, as in
Bobbie Ann Manson's "Shiloh," or the struggle with self-esteem and
weight in Andre Dubus's "The Fat Girl," the 36 works included her
probe issues that give us that "shock of recognition" that is the
hallmark of great art--wonderful, absorbing fiction that will be read
and reread for decades to come.