Stay Awake : Stories (Paperback)

from hayduke

I was in the middle of the title story when I realized that Dan Chaon had written a collection of horror tales. In these stories, human beings perpetrate horrors such as abandonment, abuse, neglect upon each other. Relatives are left to clean up the emotional refuse after events such as a house f...

from TheLostEntwife

There are short stories that are uplifting, thought-provoking, and leave the reader to walk away feeling as if life has somehow become a bit richer for reading them. Then, there are short stories that horrify,depress, and awaken a person to the harsh realities of life with a slap to the face. Sta...

from browner56

For those among us who have lost a loved one-a parent, say, or a close friend or a child-the grieving process is a profoundly personal experience. There is no set pattern or time frame for getting over the pain and the feeling of emptiness; indeed, perhaps the one connecting thread is the pervasi...

from nancyjune

Dan Chaon uses his stories to create a mood: dark, foreboding, yet there is a sense of the mundane along with the dread that keeps the mood just this side of true suspense. He writes about suffering in the everyday world; the kind of suffering you know is all around and often hidden in plain sigh...

from suesbooks

I loved the writing and character development in these short stories. Each story provided a feeling of discomfort in me, as the author wanted. I was disappointed with many endings, but I kept telling myself the reality was more important than the plot. The author shows well how difficult life is ...