The Language of Sharks

The characters inhabiting the stories in this collection are woven into the complex and highly satisfying form of a truly American tune. . .From the lost children of "Purple Haze" to the tragically lost seekers of the title story, Ms. Macenulty has captured the shadows and light of the end of an era: marriage, divorce, imprisonment, addiction . . . all the hallmarks of those generations that moved through the twilight of late twentieth century America. . .It's rare, too, to find such a satisfying read. The natural rhythms and pacing of the stories keep the pages moving, keep us caught up in these stories, because it's so easy to find ourselves in them, rapt in the detailed imagery and turn of phrase that makes Ms. Macenulty's writing something to really cherish.

The Language of Sharks is an extraordinary collection of stories, due as much to the author's unflinching eye, as to the absence of sentimentality. MacEnulty's prose cuts right through lives, sifting for the small unexpected moments of illumination. The short story "Inside Out," in which a married woman confronts her troubled past, is alone worth the price of the book. MacEnulty is an amazingly gifted writer, and these are stories to be read and reread.