Guess Again

by Bernard Cooper

Guess Again is a rich and eclectic collection of exquisitely crafted short stories. Written with unsparing honesty, these stories vividly illustrate love's complexities, the intricacies of family relationships, struggles with sexual identity, and the specter of AIDS.

Whether chronicling a dying man's acts of vandalism, a divorcée under house arrest, a Mormon couple's potluck dinner for their few homosexual acquaintances, or a young Los Angeles boy's sexual awakening, the stories in Guess Again are full of wit, subtlety, and emotional generosity.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Queer Lit, LGBT

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Bernard Cooper has won numerous awards and prizes, among them the PEN/Ernest Hemingway Award, an O. Henry Prize, and literature fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and The National Endowment of the Arts.

He has published two memoirs, Maps to Anywhere and Truth Serum, as well as a novel, A Year of Rhymes, and a collection of short stories, Guess Again.

His work has appeared in Harper's Magazine, Gentleman's Quarterly, and The Paris Review and in several volumes of The Best American Essays.

He lives in Los Angeles and is the art critic for Los Angeles Magazine.

Reviews

[Nic Rueth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read most of the stories. All pretty good, but not exquisite. 3.5 stars. The prose was really nice, full of interesting metaphors and uncanny emotions. Worth a read.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm extremely fond of Bernard Cooper's non-fiction essays. He brings the same startling twists and/or viewpoint to these stories as he does to his essays. Each story revealed a deep understanding of the vagaries of human experience. "Graphology" dipped into the particular pain of widowhood with the decidedly poignant twist of a widow's discovery of her husband's long term sexual deceit. In "What to Name the Baby," Cooper explores the nature of family. Every story includes a gay man or men with accompanying experiences that are unfamiliar to this female lesbian reader. This lent and area of surprise to every story. Cooper is a masterful story teller whose use of language is endlessly interesting.

[Jameson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty straightforward stories, clean and bright prose, humanly and funny. Funniest part in the book - in the story "What to Name the Baby," there's a lapdog in a dog shelter that's fallen from grace. Just a few sentences, but I was rolling.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far I've just read one story: A Man in the Making. Very smooth prose - I'm looking forward to the rest!

Oh, and my copy is autographed! Silly bookstore didn't even realise.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny short stories without being goofy. Poignant.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

short stories. funny and touching at the same time, a unique mix that gives you a glimpse into the lives of these characters.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny...Cooper deserves to be as famous as Sedaris, Vowell, Burrows and other CNF stars.