How to Fall: Stories

I love literary fiction with dark humor, eccentric characters and an oddball, read-between-the-lines narrative. And that is why I absolutely adored Edith Pearlman's How to Fall. This short-story collection features several of the most incredible and thought-provoking stories I have read in a while. The characters seem mundane and unremarkable when the author first introduces them. Then the stories and their characters develop into disarming, off the wall nuances that compel you and make you laugh at the same time. My favorites stories are "Rules," "The Large Lady," and "Signs of Life." Those are my favorites, but all of the stories are wonderful and remarkable. How to Fall has floored me and I look forward to reading other works from Ms. Pearlman -- a master storyteller.