The Expendibles: Stories.

Athens, GA University of Georgia Press, 1990. Hardcover First Edition [1990]; First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence. SIGNED BY AUTHOR at the title page and there is also an inscription at the half-title page, "To the Cutlers, In hopes all is well. Toni Nelson March 92". First Edition [1990]; First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence. Near Fine in Very Near Fine DJ: Both book and DJ show only minute indications of use. The Book shows just a touch of splay to the front and rear boards; else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of any creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome very nearly-new copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing only an unobtrusive imperfection. Bright and clean. Corners sharp. Virtually 'As New'. The DJ shows a hint of rubbing to the panels; else flawless; unclipped; mylar-protected. Very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches). 200 pages. Language: English. Weight: 17.4 ounces. Hardback with DJ. Winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. Antonya Nelson's short stories are provocative and entertaining because they tell us a great deal about ourselves, both in terms of the way that her characters' actions and reactions mirror our own, as well as in how we respond to the situations and characters we encounter in her work. Her stories are populated by characters who seem damaged yet strong, whose actions and dialogue convey more to us than we may consciously realize. Antonya Nelson's gift is her ability to create realistic and compelling stories without the use of gimmicky or contrived hooks, and to keep her stories moving forward on the strength of her vividly drawn characters and their unique and all-too-human motivations. My personal favorites in this collection are "Dog Problems," in which a husband deals with the possibility that his wife loves her dog more than him, and the title story, "The Expendables," which remains with me the way that Flannery O'Connor's and Joyce Carol Oates's best short stories stay with me: like a haunting but pleasant refrain that won't stop replaying itself in my head. In this story we visit the scene of a wedding, and follow one of the the bride's brothers as he encounters his relatives, his future brother-in-law, and a gypsy family down the street in the midst of a funeral service. It is absolutely one of the best short stories of the 20th century, and helps to justify Antonya Nelson's selection by The New Yorker as one of the most important young writers in America today. I'm tempted to say that this is contemporary short fiction at its best, except that these stories would stand out regardless of when they were published -- which makes them not so much contemporary as timeless. INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR.