“Emily Ruskovich, who wrote the best-selling and award-winning 2017 novel Idaho, proves herself to be a master of short fiction with this stunning collection of five short stories set against the otherworldly backdrop of the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. Whether the stories revolve around a young woman moving into her husband’s childhood home or an estranged father grieving the loss of his brother, all of them explore the flimsy intersection between secrets and innocence, truth and memory.”—Harper’s Bazaar
“Nightjar features five magical stories set against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest wilderness, exploring the themes of estrangement, memory, and intimate grief. Ruskovich’s writing toes the line between subtly quiet and ferociously triumphant. . . . Nightjar is haunting, riveting, and an absolute gift.”—Chicago Review of Books
“To read Emily Ruskovich is to unwrap a gift: her stories are surprising, rewarding, beautiful. There are strange love affairs, hearts gently breaking, cherished childhood memories that turn out to be untrue; in clear and distinctive prose, she evokes the epic scope of quiet lives.”—Paula Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author of A Slow Fire Burning
“These are marvelous and unsettling stories. Ruskovich’s prose is lambent, the relationships between her characters are thorny, complex, and mesmerizing, and the shapes of her stories constantly surprise. I loved Nightjar.”—Kelly Link, bestselling author of The Book of Love
“These are exquisite short stories. They disturb, delight, and linger long after finishing.”—Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses
“In spare, lovely prose, Ruskovich writes a collection of five linked literary stories set in the Pacific Northwest wilderness, each following a character whose life is profoundly disrupted.”—Alta
“Some books whisper instead of shout. Nightjar is one of them. This collection of interconnected stories moves through grief, memory, love, family, and loss with the kind of quiet beauty that almost feels hypnotic. . . . This is the kind of collection that asks you to slow down and simply exist inside its atmosphere.”—Bibliolifestyle
“Ruskovich blends urgent pacing with lush wooded scenery and intimate psychological details. It’s a marvel.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“In this exquisitely tailored collection of five stories, Ruskovich plumbs the depths of mystery, memory, and the quiet grief of intimacy. . . . Like Idaho, this book has a compelling slipperiness, both in time and reality. Ruskovich’s characters are often in two places in time at once, and she expertly weaves memory and observation to fuse the past and present together. . . . A portal to a haunting, liminal Pacific Northwest.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
