The Stories of Mary Gordon

Awarded the Story Prize — The Stories of Mary Gordon

The stories of Mary Gordon return us to the pleasure of this writer’s craft and to her monumental talent as an observer of character and of the ever-fading American Dream. These pieces encompass the pre- and postwar Irish American family life she circles in the early Temporary Shelter series, as well as a wealth of new fiction that brings her contemporary characters into middle age; it is their turn to face bodily decline, mortality, and the more complex anxieties of modern life. With their powerful insights into how we make do, both socially and privately, these stories are a treasure of American fiction.

“A welcome reminder of this still-evolving writer’s steadfast mindfulness and clarity of vision.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Not a light read, jabbing sharp, unrelenting elbows into the reader and whispering, ‘Do you recognize yourself?’” — BookReporter