HOMESICK FOR ANOTHER WORLD

u003cbu003eA u003ciu003eNew York Times Book Review u003c/iu003eNotable Book of 2017u003c/bu003eu003cbru003e u003cbru003e u003cbu003eAn electrifying first collection from one of the most exciting short story writers of our timeu003c/bu003eu003cbru003e u003cbru003e u003cbu003e"I can't recall the last time I laughed this hard at a book. Simultaneously, I'm shocked and scandalized. She's brilliant, this young woman."--David Sedarisu003c/bu003eu003cbru003e u003cbru003e Ottessa Moshfegh's debut novel u003ciu003eEileenu003c/iu003e was one of the literary events of 2015. Garlanded with critical acclaim, it was named a book of the year by u003ciu003eThe Washington Postu003c/iu003e and the u003ciu003eSan Francisco Chronicleu003c/iu003e, nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award, short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, and won the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. But as many critics noted, Moshfegh is particularly held in awe for her short stories. u003ciu003eHomesick for Another Worldu003c/iu003e is the rare case where an author's short story collection is if anything more anticipated than her novel.u003cbru003e u003cbru003e And for good reason. There's something eerily unsettling about Ottessa Moshfegh's stories, something almost dangerous, while also being delightful, and even laugh-out-loud funny. Her characters are all unsteady on their feet in one way or another; they all yearn for connection and betterment, though each in very different ways, but they are often tripped up by their own baser impulses and existential insecurities. u003ciu003eHomesick for Another Worldu003c/iu003e is a master class in the varieties of self-deception across the gamut of individuals representing the human condition. But part of the unique quality of her voice, the echt Moshfeghian experience, is the way the grotesque and the outrageous are infused with tenderness and compassion. Moshfegh is our Flannery O'Connor, and u003ciu003eHomesick for Another Worldu003c/iu003e is her u003ciu003eEverything That Rises Must Convergeu003c/iu003e or u003ciu003eA Good Man is Hard to Findu003c/iu003e. The flesh is weak; the timber is crooked; people are cruel to each other, and stupid, and hurtful. But beauty comes from strange sources. And the dark energy surging through these stories is powerfully invigorating. We're in the hands of an author with a big mind, a big heart, blazing chops, and a political acuity that is needle-sharp. The needle hits the vein before we even feel the prick.