The State We're In

“The collection demonstrates Beattie’s craftsmanship, precise language, and her knack for revealing psychological truths.”

“Beattie is a master at depicting the peculiarly painful valor necessary for contending with troubled family members,spouses, lovers, neighbors, even pets. She is also that rarest of beings, a brilliantly comic literary writer… Most often, it’s her skirmishing dialogue that makes us laugh out loud… [a] stellar collection by Beattie, a writer revered and honored for her keen insights and wit.”

"Short-story queen Beattie is back with her first new collection in 10 years... These tales explore the range of emotional states the author is famous for: longing, disaffection, ambivalence, love, regret. It's nice to hear her voice again."

"Beattie’s signature gifts – her finely tuned language, droll wit, unerring feel for popular culture– are on rich display here…vivid…More than a paean to the Pine Tree State, The State We’re In underscores the indelible contribution Beattie has made to American short fiction.”

“Ann Beattie’s gorgeous The State We’re In makes a strong case for the significance of place."

“A real keeper…[these stories] give voice to teens in turmoil, bad parents, tête-à-têtes of all sorts, and so much more.”

“Interconnected stories from a master of the form.”

“One of America’s finest authors—and arguably best living short-story writer.”

“The veteran short story master explores the peculiarities of summer life…What unifies these stories outside of their setting is Beattie’s nuanced understanding of relationships…An engaging collection of varied characters.”

"Sparkling.... [her stories] finish with a quiet flourish, throwing a sudden subtle twist at us... In the end, these carefully drawn, minutely illustrated portraits of women-- and men-- depict slices of life in all its complexity."

"Splendid... memorable... Beattie’s sociological wit and probity are truly unsurpassed in our literature... though I didn’t think this was possible, I experienced an even more heightened awe of Beattie’s skills... The dexterity of tone, fearless honesty, and close mapping of lives that may lead to ghastly revelations or even redemption are sheer gifts of reading... this collection has many, many moments of utter surprise. In fact, every page is fitted out with the blessed finery of hypnotic storytelling."

"Moving fluidly between adolescents and septuagenarians, it leaves us with the sense that uncertainty, disconnection, is not a matter of chronology but rather of being alive."

“A peerless, contemplative page-turner.”

"Edgy, funny and dark... Beattie’s unerring dialogue exposes each story’s truths... effortless grace."

“Slyly funny, still exhibiting the author’s nonlinear narrative style and unique gift of reflecting our inner angst with our surroundings... With a few deft strokes and not a little humor, Beattie paints the nuances... A sense of discomfort pervades The State We’re In, but thanks to the Beattie’s trademark sleek prose and perfectly calibrated authorial distance, it makes for weirdly entertaining reading."

"What has always set Beattie’s stories apart is their open-ended capaciousness, so unlike the deterministic, epiphany-shaped prose that has defined the short form... THE STATE WE'RE IN is a revelation, and is shaded by the perspective of an author who now understands both sides of a generational divide... In a Beattie story, perspective is preeminent, and it’s never one you expect. The unwieldiness of human nature, the strangeness of time and circumstance, inevitably shine through."

“Call her the American Alice Munro, call her a New Yorker darling,call this the perfect summer read.”

“A delicious new collection… Funny and consistently surprising,the stories of The State We’re In have the precision and softness of watercolor sketches... masterfully executed, each contributing to a portrait of a place... Imbued with clear-eyed compassion…These stories are also rife with the secret rituals and intimacies of marriage, with all its warfare and devotion.”

“The incomparable Ann Beattie’s cunning new story collection... remarkable (and witty)... finding meaning in the mundane and using the small to define the large... Beattie’s Maine can be another’s New York, Tennessee or Montana-- so distinct and so quotidian are her characters."

“Cause for readers to celebrate… edgy, unfiltered.”

"Beattie’s stories are about life at its most basic and genuine. But her special gift of language and insight raise them above the ordinary.”

“No one writes a short story quite like Beattie does…what unifies these gems is the author's droll, off-kilter perspective on the human race.”

“As always, she illuminates the outskirts of interpersonal apocalypse, a ‘state’ more material than geographical, riddled with cultural paraphernalia."

“Marvelous… all part of a masterful narrative structure in which seeds planted early bloom powerfully near the end, never quite as we expect. It happens in every story, and the effect is even more pleasurable across the span of this linked collection… a book packed with emotional errors and lines that will take your breath away.”

“Some things never change, but that can be a good thing — as in the subtlety and wit of Ann Beattie’s fiction… Beattie’s sharp, funny dialogue is evident throughout…The State We’re In is a strong collection, offering Beattie’s sly insights into marriage, family,home, friendship, and much more.”