The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories
In twenty-nine separate but ingenious ways, these stories seek permanent residence within a reader. They strive to become an emotional or intellectual cargo that might accompany us wherever, or however, we go. If we are made by what we read, if language truly builds people into what they are, how they think, the depth with which they feel, then these stories are, to me, premium material for that construction project. You could build a civilization with them.
"Intelligent, entertaining, and wide-ranging, this anthology is a primer on the contemporary short story and should be required reading for anyone interested in the form."
— Tin House
"An ambitious new anthology crammed with today's big names (Gaitskill, Saunders, Wallace) proves that even in a postmodern age, good storytelling fulfills a primal need."
— Salon
"Different readers will likely prefer some selections to others, but all will have to agree that Marcus has collected a respectable sampling of some of today's finest writers."
— Booklist