A review by pearseanderson
Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories by Lauren Groff

5.0

Holy shit, Lauren Groff does it again. This is a collection of LONG short stories that tend to cover the lives and relationships middle-class women have with each other, and how men can change this rhythm and distort it. Groff pulls this off with swagger and charm. Her hyperspecific use of detail, present but low symbolism, and brilliant characterization make this one of the best books I have read this year. Every story does something great with such scale and originality! So many interesting characters, from the ambassador at the beginning to the terrifying imagined Sammy character in "Fugue." I cannot recommend this enough, and after this and the American Short Fiction issue, will be adding Groff's name to my list of inspirations/role models/person to immediately read when stuff comes out (like Florida). Wow woow wooow.

Connection: I will be working with/around Lauren Groff this summer at the Tin House Summer Workshop!