"Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day is that rare find--a book that excites the reader. These tales are hilarious and vertiginous in the calmly absurd manner of Lydia Davis, Jack Handey and Etgar Keret. With his first book, Ben Loory proves he's already a master of the sleight of hand." -Stewart O'Nan, author of A Prayer for the Dying
Loory's collection of wry and witty, dark and perilous contemporary fables is populated by people--and monsters and trees and jocular octopi--who are motivated by the same fears and desires that isolate and unite us all. In this singular universe, televisions talk (and sometimes sing), animals live in small apartments where their nephews visit from the sea, and men and women and boys and girls fall down wells and fly through space and find love on Ferris wheels. In a voice full of fable, myth, and dream, Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day draws us into a world of delightfully wicked recognitions, and introduces us to a writer of uncommon talent and imagination.
Contains the story "The Duck," as heard on NPR's This American Life, and "The TV," as published in The New Yorker.
"This guy can write!" -Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451
Review
"The 40 cheerfully ominous stories in this collection feel like collaborations between Tex Avery and Franz Kafka." -Publishers Weekly
"...lonely, haunting, and dreamlike..." -Gary K. Wolfe, Locus Magazine
"Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day might be the best collection of wonder and amazement I have ever read." -Michael Jones, Blogcritics.org
"...loopy yet lovely..." -Elle Magazine
"One of a kind: a thoroughly entertaining antidote to rigid thinking and excessive seriousness." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
From the Inside Flap
"Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day is a book that comes alive when you read it. It will stand on its own, pet your hair while you sleep, and hold the umbrella over your head in the rain." -Aaron Dietz, author of Super
Description:
"Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day is that rare find--a book that excites the reader. These tales are hilarious and vertiginous in the calmly absurd manner of Lydia Davis, Jack Handey and Etgar Keret. With his first book, Ben Loory proves he's already a master of the sleight of hand." -Stewart O'Nan, author of A Prayer for the Dying
Loory's collection of wry and witty, dark and perilous contemporary fables is populated by people--and monsters and trees and jocular octopi--who are motivated by the same fears and desires that isolate and unite us all. In this singular universe, televisions talk (and sometimes sing), animals live in small apartments where their nephews visit from the sea, and men and women and boys and girls fall down wells and fly through space and find love on Ferris wheels. In a voice full of fable, myth, and dream, Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day draws us into a world of delightfully wicked recognitions, and introduces us to a writer of uncommon talent and imagination.
Contains the story "The Duck," as heard on NPR's This American Life, and "The TV," as published in The New Yorker.
"This guy can write!" -Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451
Review
"The 40 cheerfully ominous stories in this collection feel like collaborations between Tex Avery and Franz Kafka." -Publishers Weekly
"...lonely, haunting, and dreamlike..." -Gary K. Wolfe, Locus Magazine
"Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day might be the best collection of wonder and amazement I have ever read." -Michael Jones, Blogcritics.org
"...loopy yet lovely..." -Elle Magazine
"One of a kind: a thoroughly entertaining antidote to rigid thinking and excessive seriousness." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
From the Inside Flap
"Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day is a book that comes alive when you read it. It will stand on its own, pet your hair while you sleep, and hold the umbrella over your head in the rain." -Aaron Dietz, author of Super