A Better Angel: Stories

Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God. --Tom Chiarella, Esquire

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories in A BETTER ANGEL (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)...In Adrian's lyrical kingdom...most attempts at intimacy, friendship, and love become something more dark, complex and spiritually wrenching. --Vince Passaro, O, The Oprah Magazine

Abrasive, accusatory, despairing and, more than often enough, quite unforgettable fiction. -- Kirkus Reviews

He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. 'A Better Angel' stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the New Yorker and the Paris Review, and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible. - Lauren Mechling, Wall Street Journal

Edgy and otherworldly, this is a book of dark dreams. --Arizona Republic

These stories are funny and bizarre without giving over to cutesiness or kitsch . . . The darkness in Adrian's writing is balanced with compassion, wit, and the haunting, eerie scenarios he constructs are only eclipsed by the characters--the children, spirits, and Civil War reenactors--with which he fills them. --Portland Mercury

Adrian explores his subjects withcaution, respect, and most of all, imagination . . . His prose is heady enough to support Big Statements--he has the rare ability to talk about souls and be sincere . . . There are stories so thoroughly imagines and expertly written that alone they warrant the price of the entire collection. -- The Rake

[A] soul stirring collection. --Seattle Times

The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim. --Radhika Jones, Time

[A Better Angel]...is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth. -- San Francisco Chronicle

Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer -- as demonstrated in his well-received novels, Gob's Grief and The Children's Hospital -- and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks. Unspeakable grief and the innate will to survive create opposing forces in these stories, producing a universe bursting with humor and life. --S. Kirk Walsh, The New York Times

Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God. --Tom Chiarella, Esquire

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories in A BETTER ANGEL (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)...In Adrian's lyrical kingdom...most attempts at intimacy, friendship, and love become something more dark, complex and spiritually wrenching. --Vince Passaro, O, The Oprah Magazine

Abrasive, accusatory, despairing and, more than often enough, quite unforgettable fiction. -- Kirkus Reviews

He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. 'A Better Angel' stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the New Yorker and the Paris Review, and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible. - Lauren Mechling, Wall Street Journal

Edgy and otherworldly, this is a book of dark dreams. --Arizona Republic

These stories are funny and bizarre without giving over to cutesiness or kitsch . . . The darknessin Adrian's writing is balanced with compassion, wit, and the haunting, eerie scenarios he constructs are only eclipsed by the characters--the children, spirits, and Civil War reenactors--with which he fills them. --Portland Mercury

Adrian explores his subjects with caution, respect, and most of all, imagination . . . His prose is heady enough to support Big Statements--he has the rare ability to talk about souls and be sincere . . . There are stories so thoroughly imagines and expertly written that alone they warrant the price of the entire collection. -- The Rake

[A] soul stirring collection. --Seattle Times

The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim. --Radhika Jones, Time

[A Better Angel]...is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth. -- San Francisco Chronicle

Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer -- as demonstrated in his well-received novels, Gob's Grief and The Children's Hospital -- and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks. Unspeakable grief and the innate will to survive create opposing forces in these stories, producing a universe bursting with humor and life. --S. Kirk Walsh, The New York Times

Adrian is interested in illness's altered states, but this doesn't mean he thinks pain is ennobling. On the contrary, throughout his bleak and brilliant work he has been sensitive to the ways grief ravages those it strikes. --Sylvia Brownrigg, New York Times Book Review To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts. --Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God. --Tom Chiarella, Esquire

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories in A BETTER ANGEL (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)...In Adrian's lyrical kingdom...most attempts at intimacy, friendship, and love become something more dark, complex and spiritually wrenching. --Vince Passaro, O, The Oprah Magazine

Abrasive, accusatory, despairing and, more than often enough, quite unforgettable fiction. -- Kirkus Reviews

He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. 'A Better Angel' stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the New Yorker and the ParisReview, and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible. - Lauren Mechling, Wall Street Journal

Edgy and otherworldly, this is a book of dark dreams. --Arizona Republic

These stories are funny and bizarre without giving over to cutesiness or kitsch . . . The darkness in Adrian's writing is balanced with compassion, wit, and the haunting, eerie scenarios he constructs are only eclipsed by the characters--the children, spirits, and Civil War reenactors--with which he fills them. --Portland Mercury

Adrian explores his subjects with caution, respect, and most of all, imagination . . . His prose is heady enough to support Big Statements--he has the rare ability to talk about souls and be sincere . . . There are stories so thoroughly imagines and expertly written that alone they warrant the price of the entire collection. -- The Rake

[A] soul stirring collection. --Seattle Times

The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim. --Radhika Jones, Time

[A Better Angel]...is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth. -- San Francisco Chronicle

Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer -- as demonstrated in his well-received novels, Gob's Grief and The Children's Hospital -- and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks. Unspeakable grief and the innate will to survive create opposing forces in these stories, producing a universe burstingwith humor and life. --S. Kirk Walsh, The New York Times

His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically. --John Freeman, The Boston Globe

Adrian is interested in illness's altered states, but this doesn't mean he thinks pain is ennobling. On the contrary, throughout his bleak and brilliant work he has been sensitive to the ways grief ravages those it strikes. --Sylvia Brownrigg, New York Times Book Review To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts. --Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

Adrian, himself a pediatrician and seminary student, is a lucid, brilliant fortune-teller. He unveils our demons, who, in the wake of their visitations upon these children, reveal something you can only call the face of God. --Tom Chiarella, Esquire

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories in A BETTER ANGEL (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)...In Adrian's lyrical kingdom...most attempts at intimacy, friendship, and love become something more dark, complex and spiritually wrenching. --Vince Passaro, O, The Oprah Magazine

Abrasive, accusatory, despairing and, morethan often enough, quite unforgettable fiction. -- Kirkus Reviews

He has a strong following among the literary magazine set, and with his latest book he has a chance to win a mainstream audience. 'A Better Angel' stands to outperform its predecessors, as many of its stories have appeared in places like the New Yorker and the Paris Review, and at a little over 200 pages, it's eminently accessible. - Lauren Mechling, Wall Street Journal

Edgy and otherworldly, this is a book of dark dreams. --Arizona Republic

These stories are funny and bizarre without giving over to cutesiness or kitsch . . . The darkness in Adrian's writing is balanced with compassion, wit, and the haunting, eerie scenarios he constructs are only eclipsed by the characters--the children, spirits, and Civil War reenactors--with which he fills them. --Portland Mercury

Adrian explores his subjects with caution, respect, and most of all, imagination . . . His prose is heady enough to support Big Statements--he has the rare ability to talk about souls and be sincere . . . There are stories so thoroughly imagines and expertly written that alone they warrant the price of the entire collection. -- The Rake

[A] soul stirring collection. --Seattle Times

The title story, which combines dark comedy and deep pathos, is not only the standout of this volume but also one of the best stories published in recent memory. Adrian has been known as a writer's writer, but with this book, readers would do well to stake their claim. --Radhika Jones, Time

[A Better Angel]...is held forward in the pared beauty of Adrian's unshowy, lambent prose and gives the collection almost a bottomless depth. -- San Francisco Chronicle

Mr. Adrian is a gifted, courageous writer -- as demonstrated in his well-received novels, Gob's Grief and The Children's Hospital -- and with this collection he continues to take far-reaching risks. Unspeakable grief and the innate will to survive create opposing forces in these stories, producing a universe bursting with humor and life. --S. Kirk Walsh, The New York Times

To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts. --Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories. --Vince Passaro, O magazine
His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically. -- The Boston Globe
Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in A Better Angel is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation. -- The Seattle Times

[A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace. Caroline McCloskey, Elle

To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts. Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories. Vince Passaro, O magazine

His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically. The Boston Globe

Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in A Better Angel is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation. The Seattle Times

[A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace. Caroline McCloskey, Elle

To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts. Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories. Vince Passaro, O magazine

His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically. The Boston Globe

Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in A Better Angel is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation. The Seattle Times

-[A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace.- --Caroline McCloskey, Elle

-To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts.- --Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

-Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories.- --Vince Passaro, O magazine

-His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically.- --The Boston Globe

-Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in A Better Angel is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation.- --The Seattle Times

[A] lovely, potent new story collection . . . through wit and furious inventiveness [these stories] earn our trust and achieve a hypnotic grace. --Caroline McCloskey, Elle

To read Chris Adrian is to take part in the exciting process of watching a talented and original writer gain mastery of his powerful gifts. --Myla Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

Spirits and demons and a persistent faith populate Chris Adrian's crystalline stories. --Vince Passaro, O magazine

His best work yet . . . Not one of the stories teeters out of control. They are strange, beautiful, and unforgettable. Like Kafka, Poe, and Salman Rushdie, Adrian knows the best way to bring the miraculous to life is to write it realistically. --The Boston Globe

Coupling with the unfathomable sadness and grief on display in A Better Angel is a curious brand of humor. . . . Adrian proves that suffering, your own or others', doesn't have to break the soul. There's also the promise, if we're ready to see the light, of revelation. --The Seattle Times

CHRIS ADRIAN is the author of Gob's Grief and The Children's Hospital.