This Life She's Chosen

I'm not an avid reader, and I typically prefer non-fiction, but I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. I do read the short stories in the New Yorker to keep me exposed to new writers and styles. These short stories are great for an afternoon when you want to drift into another life for a spell. I finished them in one lazy, summer weekend. I like how they lingered in my mind. I highly recommend them.

First-time author Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum's "This Life She's Chosen" is far from anything I might normally pick up for pleasure reading, but after hearing Ms. Lunstrum read at a bookstore near my home, I couldn't resist. The subtle elegance of her prose, the tension and complexity she earns from seemingly simple character relationships, and the narrative control she exhibits throughout this collection form an engaging, memorable read. The book actually delivers on Pam Houston's ecstatic jacket blurb. Look for this author to have a long, successful career.