Atavists: Stories

"“Is there a writer more profound and less pretentious than Lydia Millet?” That question lead NPR’s review of the author’s previous short story collection and bears asking again now. After a spell that saw her publish a couple of novels and a work of nonfiction, the former Pulitzer and National Book Award finalist has returned to short fiction with her latest, a collection of 14 interconnected stories set in a Los Angeles that is teetering on the cusp of climate catastrophe. Careful though: As always with Millet, the writing here is spare, straightforward and often funny – but beware of its dark and perilous depths."