The Middle of the Night

Rating:
Summary: I hope to read more by this talented writer!
Review: What a beautiful book this is! I absolutely loved these short stories. What an impressive debut! These are delicious little stories and you will find yourself completely able to relate to each character as you become immersed in their complicated, yet utterly "human" and familiar lives. So very remarkable! I savored and read this book slowly, I did not want the spell I was under to end. I am always so thrilled to discover a wonderful new writer and it goes without saying that I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for his next effort. Congratulations to Daniel Stolar, on this extraordinary debut!

Rating:
Summary: A debut both subtle and powerful
Review: Who says you can't get a book of short stories published these days? That's what literary agents and editors tell writers, but Daniel Stoler's terrific debut collection of 8 short stories, The Middle of the Night, proves them wrong.
Several of these stories are set in St. Louis; the characters are Midwesterners, a group often mocked and given short shrift in `literary' writing. The people in the stories are continually being surprised by life's twists and turns, and they are obviously uncomfortable with the changes brought about by shifting relationships these changes cause.
Throughout the stories, there's a sense of looking back at what might have been, an examination of grief and loss, a withholding of secrets right to the grave, and an aura of quiet detachment that makes the peaks in the writing all the more powerful.
A great addition to any serious reader's bookshelf.