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Stay Awake

Stories
by Dan Chaon
Stay Awake: Stories. Ballantine. Feb. 2012. 272p. ISBN 9780345530370. $25; eISBN 9780345532305. STORIES
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OrangeReviewStarDistinctive, hurting, and brave, Chaon's characters suffer life's little jolts but scramble to get back on the path, their journey to self escalating to the tenth power as the prose flows. That's evident in his novels, like multiple best-book pick You Remind Me of Me, and even more evident in his short stories; they're often Pushcart, O. Henry, and Best American Short Stories honorees, and Among the Missing, his second collection, was a National Book Award finalist. Here's another collection featuring individuals in love or in mourning, always desperate to connect. Important whether or not you typically read short stories.
Reviewed by Barbara Hoffert , Sep 01, 2011
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