A Better Angel

Stories

By: Chris Adrian

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21 July 2009

At a Glance

No. of Pages
240

Dimensions(cm)
20.96 x 13.97 x 1.91

$39.75

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A "NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW" NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
A "NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW "EDITORS' CHOICE

In this inventive collection of stories, Chris Adrian treads the terrain of human suffering--illness, regret, mourning, sympathy--in the most unusual ways. A bereaved twin starts a friendship with a homicidal fifth grader in the hope that she can somehow lead him back to his dead brother. A boy tries to contact the spirit of his dead father and finds himself talking to the Devil instead. A ne'er-do-well pediatrician returns home to take care of his dying father, all the while under the scrutiny of an easily-disappointed heavenly agent. With "A Better Angel"'s cast of living and dead characters, at once otherworldly and painfully human, Adrian has created a haunting work of spectral beauty and wit.
Chris Adrian is the author "Gob's Grief" and "The Children's Hospital." He is a Fellow in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco. A "New York Times Book Review "Notable Book
The stories in "A Better Angel" describe the terrain of human suffering--illness, regret, mourning, sympathy--in the most unusual of ways. In "Stab," a bereaved twin starts a friendship with a homicidal fifth grader in the hope that she can somehow lead him back to his dead brother. In "Why Antichrist?" a boy tries to contact the spirit of his dead father and finds himself talking to the Devil instead. In the title story, a ne'er do well pediatrician returns home to take care of his dying father, all the while under the scrutiny of an easily disappointed heavenly agent.
The stories in "A Better Angel," some of which have appeared in "The" "New Yorker," "Tin House," and "McSweeney's," demonstrate more of Chris Aiden's endless inventiveness and wit, and they confirm his growing reputation as an unusual literary voice of darkly magical comic tales. "Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God."--Tom Chiarella, "Esquire
"

"To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts."--Myla Goldberg, "The New York Times Book Review
""Adrian's is a haunted, haunting territory of troubled spirits, where redemption is sought--and may, occasionally, be found . . . There are certainly strains of comedy in Adrian's darkness."--Sylvia Brownrigg, "The New York Times Book Review
""Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer, and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks."--S. Kirk Walsh, "The New York Times"
"He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. "A Better Angel" stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the "New Yorker" and the "Paris Review," and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible."--Lauren Mechling, "The Wall Street Journal"
"Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God."--Tom Chiarella, "Esquire
""Astonishing . . . A] poisoned, unflinching redemption is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically."--"The Boston Globe"
"In these stories Mr. Adrian paints beautiful still lifes of near-dead bodies among ghosts and angels, prompting questions about what lies beneath the body, the wax mannequin, or what lies beyond--beyond the modern scene of death, the dirty, fluorescent hospital."--Lily Swistel, "The New York Observer
""Adrian's language is powered by unflinching detail (a dead man's open eyes have 'the look of spoiling grapes'), and he's at his best when in the sickroom, as in 'The Sum of Our Parts', in which a comatose soul trails the living around the hospital where her body lies dying. The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim."--Radhika Jones, "Time
""The new collection of short stories by Boston novelist Chris Adrian ("The Children's Hospital") reads like the off-kilter tales of a mad man who sits next to you in the waiting area of a hospital emergency room insisting the world's about to end. His creepy accounts of profound illness, violent aggression, strange visions and hovering doom resonate, and you wind up thinking of them for days afterward. In Adrian's case, we're dealing with a great mind, not a lost one. The material in "A Better Angel" is close to Adrian's heart, drawn from his background as a pediatrician and divinity school student. Each deals in one way or another with the sometimes uneasy alliance of body and soul, nature and the supernatural."--Tyrone Beason, "The Seattle Times
""Drug-addled doctors, evil teenagers and winged spirits are among the characters in Chris Adrian's new volume of eccentric and fabulistic stories, "A Better Angel" . . . Adrian admits that his work at the hospital often inspires his fiction, but he radically transforms events from his everyday experience, fitting them into a richly surreal framework . . . Like their creator, the characters in "A Better Angel" tend to channel their grim obsessions into transformativ

Industry Reviews

"[A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace." --Caroline McCloskey, Elle

"To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts." --Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

"Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories." --Vince Passaro, O magazine

"His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically." --The Boston Globe

"Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in A Better Angel is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation." --The Seattle Times -[A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace.- --Caroline McCloskey, Elle

-To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts.- --Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

-Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories.- --Vince Passaro, O magazine

-His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically.- --The Boston Globe

-Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in A Better Angel is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation.- --The Seattle Times [A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace. Caroline McCloskey, Elle

To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts. Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories. Vince Passaro, O magazine

His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically. The Boston Globe

Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in A Better Angel is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation. The Seattle Times

" [A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace. "Caroline McCloskey, Elle"

To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts. "Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review"

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories. "Vince Passaro, O magazine"

His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically. "The Boston Globe"

Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in "A Better Angel "is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation. "The Seattle Times"" "[A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace."--Caroline McCloskey, "Elle " "To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts."--Myla Goldberg, "The New York Times Book Review "

"Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories."--Vince Passaro, "O "magazine "His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically."--"The Boston Globe" "Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in "A Better Angel "is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation."--"The Seattle Times" "Focused otherwise, the haunting energy and supernal visions found in A Better Angel, Chris Adrian's new story collection, could have inspired an occult religion...He sublimely melds the beautiful and the terrible, which makes for a fondness of grotesques reminiscent of the great Southern gothic wirters."--Cheston Knapp," Richmond Times""His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically."--John Freeman, "The Boston Globe"

"Adrian is interested in illness's altered states, but this doesn't mean he thinks pain is ennobling. On the contrary, throughout his bleak and brilliant work he has been sensitive to the ways grief ravages those it strikes."--Sylvia Brownrigg, "New York"" Times Book Review""To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts." --Myla Goldberg, "The New York Times Book Review"

"Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God."--Tom Chiarella, "Esquire"

"Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories in A BETTER ANGEL (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)...In Adrian's lyrical kingdom...most attempts at intimacy, friendship, and love become something more dark, complex and spiritually wrenching."--Vince Passaro, "O, The Oprah Magazine"

"Abrasive, accusatory, despairing and, morethan often enough, quite unforgettable fiction."--"Kirkus Reviews"

"He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. 'A Better Angel' stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the New Yorker and the Paris Review, and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible."- Lauren Mechling, "Wall Street Journal"

"Edgy and otherworldly, this is a book of dark dreams.""--Arizona Republic"

"These stories are funny and bizarre without giving over to cutesiness or kitsch . . . The darkness in Adrian's writing is balanced with compassion, wit, and the haunting, eerie scenarios he constructs are only eclipsed by the characters--the children, spirits, and Civil War reenactors--with which he fills them.""--Portland Mercury"

"Adrian explores his subjects with caution, respect, and most of all, imagination . . . His prose is heady enough to support Big Statements--he has the rare ability to talk about souls and be sincere . . . There are stories so thoroughly imagines and expertly written that alone they warrant the price of the entire collection."--"The Rake"

"[A] soul stirring collection.""--Seattle Times"

"The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim."--Radhika Jones, "Time"

"[A Better Angel]...is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth."--"San Francisco""Chronicle"

"Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer -- as demonstrated in his well-received novels, "Gob's Grief" and "The Children's Hospital" -- and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks. Unspeakable grief and the innate will to survive create opposing forces in these stories, producing a universe bursting with humor and life."--S. Kirk Walsh, "The New York Times" "His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically."--John Freeman, "The Boston Globe""Adrian is interested in illness's altered states, but this doesn't mean he thinks pain is ennobling. On the contrary, throughout his bleak and brilliant work he has been sensitive to the ways grief ravages those it strikes."--Sylvia Brownrigg, "New York"" Times Book Review""To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts." --Myla Goldberg, "The New York Times Book Review"

"Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God."--Tom Chiarella, "Esquire"

"Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories in A BETTER ANGEL (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)...In Adrian's lyrical kingdom...most attempts at intimacy, friendship, and love become something more dark, complex and spiritually wrenching."--Vince Passaro, "O, The Oprah Magazine"

"Abrasive, accusatory, despairing and, more than often enough, quite unforgettable fiction."--"Kirkus Reviews"

"He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. 'A Better Angel' stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the New Yorker and the ParisReview, and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible."- Lauren Mechling, "Wall Street Journal"

"Edgy and otherworldly, this is a book of dark dreams.""--Arizona Republic"

"These stories are funny and bizarre without giving over to cutesiness or kitsch . . . The darkness in Adrian's writing is balanced with compassion, wit, and the haunting, eerie scenarios he constructs are only eclipsed by the characters--the children, spirits, and Civil War reenactors--with which he fills them.""--Portland Mercury"

"Adrian explores his subjects with caution, respect, and most of all, imagination . . . His prose is heady enough to support Big Statements--he has the rare ability to talk about souls and be sincere . . . There are stories so thoroughly imagines and expertly written that alone they warrant the price of the entire collection."--"The Rake"

"[A] soul stirring collection.""--Seattle Times"

"The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim."--Radhika Jones, "Time"

"[A Better Angel]...is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth."--"San Francisco"" Chronicle"

"Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer -- as demonstrated in his well-received novels, "Gob's Grief" and "The Children's Hospital" -- and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks. Unspeakable grief and the innate will to survive create opposing forces in these stories, producing a universe burstingwith humor and life."--S. Kirk Walsh, "The New York Times" "Adrian is interested in illness's altered states, but this doesn't mean he thinks pain is ennobling. On the contrary, throughout his bleak and brilliant work he has been sensitive to the ways grief ravages those it strikes."--Sylvia Brownrigg, "New York"" Times Book Review""To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts." --Myla Goldberg, "The New York Times Book Review""Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God."--Tom Chiarella, "Esquire"

"Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories in A BETTER ANGEL (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)...In Adrian's lyrical kingdom...most attempts at intimacy, friendship, and love become something more dark, complex and spiritually wrenching."--Vince Passaro, "O, The Oprah Magazine"

"Abrasive, accusatory, despairing and, more than often enough, quite unforgettable fiction."--"Kirkus Reviews"

"He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. 'A Better Angel' stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the New Yorker and the Paris Review, and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible."- Lauren Mechling, "Wall Street Journal"

"Edgy and otherworldly, this is a book of dark dreams.""--Arizona Republic"

"These stories are funny and bizarre without giving over to cutesiness or kitsch . . . The darknessin Adrian's writing is balanced with compassion, wit, and the haunting, eerie scenarios he constructs are only eclipsed by the characters--the children, spirits, and Civil War reenactors--with which he fills them.""--Portland Mercury"

"Adrian explores his subjects with caution, respect, and most of all, imagination . . . His prose is heady enough to support Big Statements--he has the rare ability to talk about souls and be sincere . . . There are stories so thoroughly imagines and expertly written that alone they warrant the price of the entire collection."--"The Rake"

"[A] soul stirring collection.""--Seattle Times"

"The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim."--Radhika Jones, "Time"

"[A Better Angel]...is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth."--"San Francisco"" Chronicle"

"Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer -- as demonstrated in his well-received novels, "Gob's Grief" and "The Children's Hospital" -- and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks. Unspeakable grief and the innate will to survive create opposing forces in these stories, producing a universe bursting with humor and life."--S. Kirk Walsh, "The New York Times" "To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts." --Myla Goldberg, "The New York Times Book Review""Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God."--Tom Chiarella, "Esquire"

"Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories in A BETTER ANGEL (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)...In Adrian's lyrical kingdom...most attempts at intimacy, friendship, and love become something more dark, complex and spiritually wrenching."--Vince Passaro, "O, The Oprah Magazine"

"Abrasive, accusatory, despairing and, more than often enough, quite unforgettable fiction."--"Kirkus Reviews"

"He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. 'A Better Angel' stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the New Yorker and the Paris Review, and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible."- Lauren Mechling, "Wall Street Journal"

"Edgy and otherworldly, this is a book of dark dreams.""--Arizona Republic"

"These stories are funny and bizarre without giving over to cutesiness or kitsch . . . The darkness in Adrian's writing is balanced with compassion, wit, and the haunting, eerie scenarios he constructs are only eclipsed by the characters--the children, spirits, and Civil War reenactors--with which he fills them.""--Portland Mercury"

"Adrian explores his subjects withcaution, respect, and most of all, imagination . . . His prose is heady enough to support Big Statements--he has the rare ability to talk about souls and be sincere . . . There are stories so thoroughly imagines and expertly written that alone they warrant the price of the entire collection."--"The Rake"

"[A] soul stirring collection.""--Seattle Times"

"The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim."--Radhika Jones, "Time"

"[A Better Angel]...is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth."--"San Francisco"" Chronicle"

"Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer -- as demonstrated in his well-received novels, "Gob's Grief" and "The Children's Hospital" -- and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks. Unspeakable grief and the innate will to survive create opposing forces in these stories, producing a universe bursting with humor and life."--S. Kirk Walsh, "The New York Times"

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