The Book of Right and Wrong

by Matt Debenham

Matt Debenham€™s stories are for people who think they don€™t like short stories. These stories don€™t leave off in mid-breath; instead, they feature characters who seem to live on even after their closing pages. The humor in The Book of Right and Wrong makes the jarring moments that much more jarring, and the tender moments that much more tender.At once heartbreaking and hilarious, the eleven stories in The Book of Right and Wrong capture their characters at the defining moments of their lives. A mother finds herself defending her son€™s biggest bully from a tormentor of his own; a young man watches as his cape-wearing former high-school classmate proves himself more adept at making friends; a social worker gambles everything on expediting an adoption€”and causes unforeseen consequences for every person in her life; a boy standing in for Jimmy Carter in his elementary school€™s mock-election inadvertently starts a bloody playground war; an ex-con single fat

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2010

About the author

Matt Debenham is the author of the fiction collection The Book of Right and Wrong, which won the 2009 Ohio State University Press Prize for Fiction, and was published by OSU Press in 2010. His work has appeared in The Battered Suitcase, Roanoke Review, The Pinch, Painted Bride Quarterly, Dogwood, and elsewhere. The recipient of an arts fellowship from the state of Connecticut, he lives in Westport, CT with his family. His wife, Caissie St.Onge, is the author of Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. (Random House, 2011)

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Debenham writes the origami of short stories; crisp and faceted, complicated but recognizable.
The opening tale, "Beard of Bees" will go down as one of the best things ever written, in any language, ever. Debenham's work deserves to be studied in writing and lit classes and should be necessary reading for anyone who dares call themselves a "writer". High fives all around.
I'd also like to mention that Matt is an incredible promoter, working tirelessly to spread the word about his book, encouraging the publisher to offer it at a lower, more reasonable price and even offering signed bookplates and original art by his children for those who pre-ordered it. Matt blogs at: http://debenblog.blogspot.com/ and is on Twitter at @debenham. You can purchase The Book of Right and Wrong at Amazon for the astoundingly low price of $14.65

[Caissie Onge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I'm married to the author. That being said, I loved this book. I'm not typically a huge short story reader, but these aren't your typical short stories. They're sad and funny and tense and punchy. I'm proud of him, but I would recommend this book highly, even if the guy that wrote it was a stranger.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believable characters in almost unbelievable situations (which is a good thing) makes this book a delight to read. The prose flows so effortlessly, and yet deals with some heavy subject matter. But it's all treated with such a deft, light touch which makes it so enjoyable.

[Barrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I either get into short stories or I don't. This was a don't. None of them grabbed me and the ones that did, felt like they just left me hanging. Oh well. I was happy the book was short so I was done with it pretty darn fast. For that alone, it gets 2 stars instead of 1.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are amazing stories from the perfection of the opening "Beard of Bees" to the completely haunting "Failure to Thrive." Really great stuff.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories were really intriguing. Unpredictable plots, and a great, non judgemental view on the best and the worst of us. It's also interesting to me how the thing I disliked about the last short story collection I read, characters that carry over from story to story, was one of the things I enjoyed most about this short story collection.

More than happy to support this author.

[Alex Doenau · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed collection of short stories, The Book of Right and Wrong fares best when it's not trying dark twists in its tales or being excessively mean-spirited. Strange jabs at Back to the Future and stranger jabs at teenaged homosexuality in the eighties are only a couple of the things that prevented me from giving this book four stars, because Debenham is clearly a man who can go for power and profundity in the creation of a moment; it's perhaps not his fault that he more than occasionally falls into the traps all too common in the short story form.

[MaryBeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Loved. It.
Its a collection of short stories from the POV of a variety of vastly different underdogs that will leave you wishing you had been kinder in life. I read it in 3 sittings, almost missing my train stop once, and each time had that familiar 'Atwood' feeling of hyper awareness and calm.
Am looking forward to Debenham's next work.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Debenham creates people and places so familiar you'd swear you know them. He confronts their dark sides but treats them with loving affection.
His characters will stick with you and you'll find yourself eagerly awaiting his next book.

[Frynsg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only read two pages, but have been very surprised at the writing. Immediately pulls you in.

The emotions were so raw in each of the stories. How strange that Matt could get into these incredibly diverse characters.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not normally read books of short stories. I barely keep up with my New Yorker subscription. But I am so happy that I read this one. With each successive story I found myself thinking, "No, THIS one is my favorite." That is always a happy predicament to be in while reading. Highly recommend.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would list this more as the book of amorality. The short stories are captivating and intriguing. Matt Debenham writes characters thoughts and feelings with a deft hand. Not an uplifting book but well written and makes you think about what you would do.

[Zach Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite short story collections.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story "Failure to Thrive" was so jaw-dropping and disturbing (in a good way) that I had to put the book down for several days before I felt safe to pick it up again. That story blew me away.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy writes with a serious punch.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heard about this from Andy Cohen. Short stories, interwoven. Easy, fast, good. Liked it.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://therumpus.net/2010/12/horn-int...