Andrew Donelan did everything right. He attended the right schools, married the right woman, had a satisfying career and a happy family. So nothing could have prepared him when he woke up one June morning to a hollowed-out world. Instead of his comfortable Manhattan existence he found a world stripped of meaning, color, and interest. In the mirror he saw not a man with hopes and dreams, but a thing among things. Looking inward, he saw nothing at all—no purpose, no goals, and no idea what t...

Seven of the best recent short stories, disassembled by their authors.An innovative anthology revealing the inspiration, the ideals and the work involved in a great short story. Reverse Engineering brings together contemporary classic stories with their authors' discussions of how they were written.

"Elegant . . . A superb suspense novel, imbued with moral and narrative complexity and an omnipresent low cloud cover of dread." —Maureen Corrigan, The Washington PostTwo British men meet by chance in Berlin. Robert is trying and failing to finish his next book while balancing his responsibilities as a husband and father. Patrick, a recent arrival in the city, is secretive about his past, but eventually reveals that he has been ghostwriting the autobiograph...

An "extraordinary" ( The Sunday Times) debut of unnerving beauty, Chris Power's short story collection Mothers evokes the magic and despair of the essential human longing for purpose.Chris Power's stories are peopled by men and women who find themselves at crossroads or dead ends—characters who search without knowing what they seek. Their paths lead them to thresholds, bridges, rivers, and sites of mysterious, irresistible connection to the past. A...