Maggie Brown & Others: Stories

In this powerful and virtuosic collection of interlocking stories, each one 'a marvel of concision and compassion' (Washington Post), Peter Orner, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and 'master of his form' (New York Times), takes the short story to new heights.
 
Through forty-four compressed gems, Peter Orner, a writer who 'doesn't simply bring his characters to life, he gives them souls' (NYT Book Review), chronicles people whose lives are at inflection points, gripping us with a series of defining moments.


Whether it's a first date that turns into a late-night road trip to a séance in an abandoned airplane hangar, or a family's memories of the painful mystery surrounding a forgotten uncle's demise, Orner reveals how our fleeting decisions between kindness and abandonment chase us across time. These stories are anchored by a poignant novella that delivers not only the joys and travails of a forty-year marriage, but an entire era in a working-class New England city. Bristling with the crackling energy of life itself, Maggie Brown & Others marks the most sustained achievement to date for 'a master of his form' (New York Times).


- A New York Times Notable Book
- Longlisted for the Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Prize
- An Oprah Magazine Best Book of 2019
- Kirkus 'Best Short Fiction of 2019'