Charles Baxter

From a contemporary master of the short story: a dazzling new collection-his first in fifteen years-that explores the unpredictable and mysterious in seemingly ordinary experience. These interrelated stories are arranged in two sections, one devoted to virtues ("Bravery," "Loyalty," "Chastity," "Charity," and "Forbearance") and the other to vices ("Lust," "Sloth," "Avarice," "Gluttony," and "Vanity"). They are cast with characters who appear and reappear...

"Searching and erudite new essays on writing from the author of Burning Down the House. Charles Baxter's new collection of essays, Wonderlands, joins his other works of nonfiction, Burning Down the House and The Art of Subtext. In the mold of those books, Baxter shares years of wisdom and reflection on what makes fiction work, including essays that were first given as craft talks at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. The essays here range from brilliant...

"A contemporary master of short fiction dives into the undercurrents of middle-class American life in these eleven arresting, often mesmerizing stories."

Bradley is the owner of a coffee shop in Oregon. He thinks his marriage is idyllic, that is until his wife, Kathryn, leaves him for another woman. One of Bradley's baristas falls head over heels for a girl who comes looking for a job, but his abusive father spells trouble for the relationship. Finally, a professor and his wife struggle to find purpose in life in the aftermath of a personal tragedy.

Presents twenty of the best works of short fiction of the past year from a variety of acclaimed sources.