Sad Birthday Parties and Smoking Wrecks

This was like rifling through a box of Polaroids of a young woman growing into an artist.  The collection of short stories feels of a whole piece, telling stories of Eastern Europe and of moral dilemmas.  There are no easy choices and there are no easy consequences in any of the works.  Makkai has had four stories selected for the various editions of the Best American Non-Required Reading, and it’s easy to see why.  While these are melancholy and beautiful, there’s a wry sense of humor behind the stories that elevate them to something wonderful.