Tenth of December

One of the most important and blazingly original writers of his generation, George Saunders is an undisputed master of the short story. Unsettling, insightful and hilarious, this is his new collection.

Exploring motivations and misunderstandings, Saunders scratches away at the surface of worlds shot-through with confusion, illuminating figures lost in a labyrinth of troubling preoccupations. A family member recollects a backyard pole dressed for all occasions; Jeff faces horrifying ultimatums and the prospect of Darkenfloxxâ  in some unusual drug trials; Divisional Director Todd Birnie sends round a memo to employees he thinks need some inspiration; and in an auction of local celebrities Al Roosten hides his own internal monologue behind a winning smile that he hopes will make him popular. Although, as a young boy discovers, sometimes the voices fade and all you are left with is a frozen hill on a cold day in December...

Laced with wry humour and stark sensitivity, Tenth of December is a masterly exploration of human experience, dazzling and disturbing in all its haunting eloquence. With dark visions of the future riffing against ghosts of the past and the ever-settling present, this collection sings with astonishing depth, charm and intensity, and establishes Saunders as one of our greatest living storytellers.


Genre: Literary Fiction