The Secret Habit of Sorrow

Victoria Patterson, whose writing Vanity Fair has called "brutal, deeply empathetic, and emotionally wrenching,"" returns with a new collection of stories that contains echoes of Denis Johnson and Raymond Carver, along with the emotional depth and density of Elena Ferrante. There's a pitch–perfect blend of linguistic dexterity, emotional wisdom, and wry observation in The Secret Habit of Sorrow . The characters in these stories feel like people you know, their struggles real. Victoria Patterson'