{"product_id":"9780312428532","title":"A Better Angel : Stories","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eA Better Angel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Chris Adrian\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW\u003c\/i\u003e NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW \u003c\/i\u003eEDITORS' CHOICE\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this inventive collection of stories, Chris Adrian treads the terrain of human suffering--illness, regret, mourning, sympathy--in the most unusual ways. A bereaved twin starts a friendship with a homicidal fifth grader in the hope that she can somehow lead him back to his dead brother. A boy tries to contact the spirit of his dead father and finds himself talking to the Devil instead. A ne'er-do-well pediatrician returns home to take care of his dying father, all the while under the scrutiny of an easily-disappointed heavenly agent. With \u003ci\u003eA Better Angel\u003c\/i\u003e's cast of living and dead characters, at once otherworldly and painfully human, Adrian has created a haunting work of spectral beauty and wit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace.” —\u003ci\u003eCaroline McCloskey, Elle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts.” —\u003ci\u003eMyla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories.” —\u003ci\u003eVince Passaro, O magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in \u003ci\u003eA Better Angel \u003c\/i\u003eis a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780312428532\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Picador","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40621602996430,"sku":"9780312428532","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_52ce3f60-ac17-4dee-bd33-eb610580b78e.jpg?v=1638493804","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780312428532","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}