"George Saunders has done something special with his collection of
stories, The Tenth of December. Saunders has maintained a unique style
and an intensely close eye on the inner-workings of each of his
characters in these widely varied stories - varied not just in subject
matter, but in emotional depth, satire, and all those other things we
look for: unique flaws, interactions with other unique characters,
situations, etc. etc. This was not my first interaction with Saunders.
Another collection Pastoralia introduced me to Saunders' unique
style: his comedy, his depth, his inventive style, and in Tenth of
December Saunders maintains and has sharpened his voice. Many of his
characters seem to possess the rambling, worried inner-monologues that
so many of us non-Saunders-character-people live with. My favorite
pieces include the flash piece "Sticks" and the title story "Tenth of
December" which closes the collection on such a powerful emotional note
(it is a story about an older man with cancer saving the life of a young
boy, after all). I had to re-read the last two pages several times, not
just for the emotional weight but for the overwhelming beauty in
Saunders' prose. A fantastic writer and a fantastic collection!"--Ben
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