First Love, Last Rites

Somerset Maugham Award winner: Dark early fiction by the author of Nutshell —“A splendid magician of fear” ( The Village Voice Literary Supplement ).   Taut, brooding, and densely atmospheric, the stories here show us how murder can arise out of boredom, perversity from adolescent curiosity—and how sheer evil can become the solution to unbearable loneliness.   These short fiction pieces from the early career of the New York Times –bestselling and Man Booker Prize–winning author of