Adam Johnson
Author of the masterful The Orphan Master's Son, Johnson follows up with a set of short stories. I don't normally choose short stories since they fall into one of two categories: not good (no engagement, character development, plot arc, or resolution), or excellent (but leave you wanting more). Johnson falls into the later. The range of topics in this collection is astounding (sci-fi future tech, post-Katrina itinerant single parenting, child porn, post glasnost retired East-German prison warden, North Korean defectors, autobiography of breast-cancer survivor). Each of these stories quickly established engaging characters, providing enough background for depth and leaving me wanting more. The connective tissue in all of these stories is the search for life purpose by ordinary people dumped into extraordinary situations. Or maybe it is extraordinary people portrayed with ordinary problems and life outlooks. For each of these stories, I would gladly read a full length novel exploring the characters history, decisions and life struggles. Whether you like short stories or not, these will engage.
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