There's Something I Want You To Do: Stories

"Minnesota, which Charles Baxter calls his “imagination’s home,” is at the center of the 10 interconnected stories in his new collection. Half are named for vices (Lust, Sloth Avarice, Gluttony, Vanity) and half for virtues (Bravery, Loyalty, Chastity, Charity, Forbearance). The trigger for each story is a request: “Charity” begins when Quinn, who has become dependent on painkillers after a stint as an aid worker in Africa left him ill, approaches a drug dealer named Black Bird in a bar and says, “There’s something I need.” These are plainspoken, nuanced, tales with a dramatic kick."