{"product_id":"atavists-stories-9781324074410","title":"Atavists: Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe word \u003cem\u003eatavism\u003c\/em\u003e, coined by a botanist and popularized by a criminologist, refers to the resurfacing of a primitive evolutionary trait or urge in a modern being. This inventive collection from Lydia Millet offers overlapping tales of urges ranging from rage to jealousy to yearning--a fluent triumph of storytelling, rich in ideas and emotions both petty and grand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe titular atavists include an underachieving, bewildered young bartender; a middle-aged mother convinced her gentle son-in-law is fixated on geriatric porn; a bodybuilder with an incel's fantasy life; an arrogant academic accused of plagiarism; and an empty-nester dad determined to host refugees in a tiny house in his backyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs they pick away at the splitting seams in American culture, Millet's characters shimmer with the sense of powerlessness we share in an era of mass overwhelm. A beautician in a waxing salon faces a sudden resurgence of grief in the midst of a bikini Brazilian; a couple sets up a camera to find out who's been slipping homophobic letters into their mailbox; a jilted urban planner stalks a man she met on a dating app.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn its rich warp and weft of humiliations and human error, \u003cem\u003eAtavists\u003c\/em\u003e returns to the trenchant, playful social commentary that made \u003cem\u003eA Children's Bible\u003c\/em\u003e a runaway hit. In these stories sharp observations of middle-class mores and sanctimony give way to moments of raw exposure and longing: \u003cem\u003eAtavists\u003c\/em\u003e performs an uncanny fictional magic, full of revelation but also hilarious, unpretentious, and warm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMillet, Lydia:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eLydia Millet\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003cem\u003eA Children's Bible\u003c\/em\u003e, a finalist for the National Book Award and a \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e \"10 Best Books\" of the year. Her first collection of short fiction, \u003cem\u003eLove in Infant Monkeys\u003c\/em\u003e, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She works at the Center for Biological Diversity and lives outside Tucson, Arizona.","brand":"W. W. Norton \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51213380780306,"sku":"9781324074410","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_118a8f27-74cd-42c6-bdb1-8fa82a71138b.jpg?v=1772531997","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/atavists-stories-9781324074410","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}