Fresh complaint by Jeffrey eugenides

JEFFREY EUGENIDES,- boswelling nonchs Middleser. The Virgin Suicides, and The Marriage Plot have shown him to be an astute observer of the crises of adolescence, self-discovery, family love, and what it means to be American in our time. The stories in Fresh Complaint explore equally rich- and intriguing -territory. Ranging from The repro- ductive antics of "Baster" to the dreamy, moving account of a young traveler's search for enlight- enment in "Air Mail" (selected by Annie Proulx for The Best American Short Stories 1997), this col- lection presents characters in the midst of per- sonal and national emergencies. We meet a failed poet who, envious of other people's wealth during the real estate bubble, becomes an embezzler; a clavichordist whose dreams of art founder under the obligations of marriage and fatherhood; and, in "Fresh Complaint," a high school student whose wish to escape the strictures of her immigrant fam- ily leads her to a drastic decision that upends the life of a middle-aged academic. Compellingly nar- rared, beautifully written, and packed with a density of ideas despite their fuid grace, these stories chart the development and maturation of a major American writer.