Polly

I didn't love these nine stories as much as I did the collections "Bark" and "Birds of America", but they still radiate with her brilliance, depth, and wit. I am in awe of her mind, her creativity, and a the ways she connects, dissects, and reassembles human experiences. These were darker stories, heavy hitters, about death, infidelity, lonelines, mental and physical illness. Somehow she allows us to love and have compassion for all her characters, much like Richard Yates does—you can't hate any of them, only feel a sinking and yearning pity.

I wasn't as much a fan of the second person narratives, which there were several, but I appreciate seeing how she used this perspective and the ways to make it work.