"MauricioMontiel Figueiras writes with the curious clarity of Joseph Roth andHeinrich von Kleist, but CROWD bears most bravely the mark of thevampire that is Kafka. 'Out there in the woods, the enemy is still atwork.' Abel hears a cockroach scratching within the walls of anelevator; he intuits his destiny, the execution of Mr. Kane. A noirsensibility informs Montiel's searing narrative, the evidence arrivingat its dénouement when Abel is cornered by three men, one with agun."--Barry Gifford, author of Wild at Heart "Chaya Bhuvaneswar's Lalita isa tale of survival and redemption. There is humor here, too, and thetitle character is brilliantly rendered on the page: full of gumptionand resolve. Once you meet her, you won't be able to forget her, and youwill follow her anywhere.

As with other masters of thenovella--Katherine Anne Porter, Elizabeth Strout--Bhuvaneswar is able torender an epic in miniature form."--Nick White, author of Sweet and Low: Stories and How to Survive a Summer: A Novel "You can finish reading a novella in one long sitting, but that doesn't mean that it will be finished with you. Jason Ockert's The Body Collector is atriumph of big-hearted surrealism. With nods to Borges and Saramago, thisnightmarish tale follows Duncan Weaver, your average overweight lifeinsurance agent who may or may not have died. A few times. Duncan may bestruggling to lose weight, but his body is not what it seems when theBody Collector comes to collect his due. I wish I could start it allover again for the first time!"--Jessica Anthony, author of Enter the Aardvark "Thisbrilliantly imagined tale of thorny friendship between two masterstorytellers is unlike anything I have ever read. A surreal road storybrimming with metaphysical horrors and marvels, Jeff Parker's G v.

P gives us a darkly funny and deeply moving meditation on life, death, and art that you'll never forget."--Mona Awad, author of Bunny.