false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176511165m/632391.jpg 632391 9 In his debut story collection, <I>You Are Not a Stranger Here</I>, Adam Haslett drags into the light subjects often left in the cellar. Most of his stories are told from the viewpoint of the mentally ill (though one, "The Good Doctor," shows us madness from a caregiver's perspective). The rest of the stories deal with closeted homosexuality: boys who are just learning their identity, men who have never come to terms with it. Haslett is an enormously compassionate writer, and shows a lovely, plain-written acuity about his people. His writing is a convincing inside job--he never romanticizes or oversimplifies. In "The Volunteer," an old woman at a care facility is haunted by the voice of an ancestress named Hester: "For more than two decades, Elizabeth Maynard has done exactly as she is told and the voice of Hester, which has cost her so much, comes only quietly and intermittently. It is a negative sort of achievement, she thinks, to have spent a life warding something off."<p> Haslett has a gift for writing quietly about sensational topics: men cruising each other in the park at night; an abusive, self-hating relationship between two adolescent boys. The stories can get a bit too fancy: the writer can't resist the ironic twist or the surprise ending. Still, this is a beautifully written collection that's as heartfelt as it is intelligent. <I>--Claire Dederer</I> 1045859 2002 You Are Not a Stranger Here: Stories total:798|5:219|4:314|3:205|2:49|1:11| 798 3075 1083 114 4 2 false false Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Sat Sep 15 07:47:40 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 15 07:55:53 -0700 2007
I read this on the beach in Italy, surrounded by...more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun May 11 14:02:13 -0700 2008 Sun May 11 14:02:49 -0700 2008 5 1 false true Sun Apr 20 22:45:51 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 20 13:23:53 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 20 22:45:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Mar 20 19:10:38 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 19:27:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Tue Jul 15 06:39:06 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 15 06:50:25 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Tue Aug 11 05:14:27 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 05:18:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Mar 01 12:12:26 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 12:12:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 14:41:48 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 14:47:15 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Apr 26 13:19:53 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 18:31:55 -0700 2009
The book is a compilation of short stories, most of which involv...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Oct 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Feb 01 18:38:19 -0800 2008 Sat Oct 31 14:45:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon Nov 10 10:43:32 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 10 10:43:32 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 21:02:22 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 21:02:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 11:32:50 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 11:38:03 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 16:07:24 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 16:14:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Jun 04 20:35:40 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 04 20:36:29 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jul 11 13:56:12 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 17:02:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 13 19:44:30 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 16 13:30:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon May 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 10:21:28 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 09:48:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Mar 06 12:56:07 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 11 10:38:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 11:16:19 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 11:18:27 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=632391