by Elizabeth Strout (2016)
"Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her and a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all--the one between mother and daughter"--
Ian McGuire
The Volunteer, a nineteenth-century Yorkshire whaling ship, becomes the stage for a confrontation between brutal harpooner Henry Drax and ex-army surgeon Patrick Sumner, the ship's medic, during a violent, ill-fated voyage to the Arctic.
Deborah Levy
"I have been sleuthing my mother's symptoms for as long as I can remember. If I see myself as an unwilling detective with a desire for justice, is her illness an unsolved crime? If so, who is the villain and who is the victim?" Sofia, a young anthropologist, has spent much of her life trying to solve the mystery of her mother's unexplainable illness. She is frustrated with Rose and her constant complaints, but utterly relieved to be called to abandon her own disappointing fledgling adult life. She and her mother travel to the searing, arid coast of southern Spain to see a famous consultant -- their very last chance -- in the hope that he might cure her unpredictable limb paralysis. But Dr. Gomez has strange methods that seem to have little to do with physical medicine, and as the treatment progresses, Sofia's mother's illness becomes increasingly baffling. Sophia's role as detective -- tracking her mother's symptoms in an attempt to find the secret motivation for her pain -- deepens as she discovers her own desires in this transient desert community.
Kurt Vonnegut
Sucker's Portfolio is a celebrated work by Kurt Vonnegut (American Master), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.
Michael Chabon
The Best American Short Stories 2002 is a celebrated work by Michael Chabon (Pulitzer Prize Winner, Hugo Award Winner), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.