Synopses & Reviews
Readers familiar with David Means' electrifying work in the Los Angeles Times Book Prizewinning Assorted Fire Events will recognize his extraordinary vision in The Secret Goldfish. A trio of erotically charged kids goes on a crime spree in Michigan; a goldfish bears witness to the demise of a Connecticut marriage; and an extremely unlucky man is stalked by lightning. This dazzling new collection reveals Means' rare talent for the short story and establishes his place among the American masters.
Review
"Though less flashy, they cut at least as close to the bone as Means's more obvious tours de force. Black/bleak comedies of moral and spiritual breakdown." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"In each of these stories, Means reveals the truth of our lives the way great art always has by making us see the world as it painfully is, not as our comfortable habits hide it from us. David Means is a brilliant new master of the short story who fully understands and respects the form's power." Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel
Review
"Startling....Means's stories tug at our most entrenched fears of what life could become with a single misstep, each one harder than the last to look away from." Vogue
Review
"The language is coarse and is thin on the style that Means used so well in the past....There is a variety of so-called stories that don't seem like stories at all. They contain various writing styles, often lacking thought and unity, and seem more like creative writing exercises." Denver Post
Review
"[Means] uses some of the most sharp-edged and beautifully spare language of any writer of his generation, in a voice that seems carved out of the American soil." Chicago Tribune
Review
"Means has the uncanny ability to take the ordinary and to place it in a shifting landscape that unsettles the reader. The only problem is that at times this can make for tedious reading, and it is often done at the expense of the stories themselves..." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"The Secret Goldfish will likely enhance his reputation further as a first-rate author of short fiction, a bold and creative voice contributing to one of America's most enduring literary traditions." San Antonio Express-News
Synopsis
From the Los Angeles Times Book Prize-winning author of Assorted Fire Events comes an extraordinary story collection.
About the Author
David Means's previous book, Assorted Fire Events, won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's magazine, Esquire, McSweeney's, and numerous other publications. His work was included in The Best American Mystery Stories 2001. Born and raised in Michigan, he lives in Nyack, New York.