The Dinner Party: Stories by Joshua Ferris

When people tell me they don’t like short fiction, I recommend the title story of this collection: a clear-eyed, perfect-length punch in the gut, emblematic of Ferris’s dark wit and panoramic insightfulness. Few writers can, within one sentence, inspire a belly laugh while highlighting the misery of life’s everyday drudgeries—and still give a wink toward the awkward, beautiful mysteries of life. - Julia