Dinosaurs on Other Planets
By Danielle McLaughlin
By Danielle McLaughlin
Category: Short Stories | Literary Fiction
-
Aug 09, 2016 | ISBN 9780812998436
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
The Confabulist
Ghana Must Go
Recent History
Troilus and Cressida
Hiding in Plain Sight
For Kings and Planets
Days of Awe
Love Marriage
Sweetness in the Belly
Praise
“Dinosaurs [on Other Planets] marks the stateside debut (in book form, at least—a number of these already have appeared in The New Yorker) of Danielle McLaughlin, a writer of exceptionally deep empathy in the naturalistic tradition of John McGahern and Claire Keegan but with a knack for keen, and often disturbing, observation all her own.”—LitHub
“McLaughlin’s immersive first collection casts a stern eye on individuals, couples, and families caught in nets of their own making, where even the mildest passion can lead to death, and journeys home with new lovers can reveal grim secret lives. . . . The title story, which opens up into an ambiguous ending rather than tying its strands up neatly, show[s] the ample bag of tricks McLaughlin has at her disposal.”—Publishers Weekly
“Danielle McLaughlin’s short story collection Dinosaurs on Other Planets is a near perfect, enormously promising debut. . . . McLaughlin’s subject matter and themes are serious, undercut brilliantly by a sly strain of pitch-black humor. . . . A brilliant, quietly disturbing debut story collection [that] portrays Irish characters in the uncertain wake of the recent financial crisis.”—Shelf Awareness
“In her collection, [McLaughlin] focuses on fraught relationships and those sudden, illuminating moments that can light up ordinary lives.”—Library Journal
“The key to writing about the ordinariness of life, which is the objective of most short story writers, is to isolate the distinctive detail about a person or event that speaks to both the universal and the uniqueness in every moment of every day. In her debut collection, McLaughlin, a prizewinning writer living in Ireland, achieves that perception to an unerring degree. . . . [The] stories are equally eloquent, sensitive, and easy to abide; librarians would be wise to hand this collection to fiction readers still unconvinced they can connect with the short story form.”—Booklist
“This is not a debut in the usual sense, a promise of greater things to come. There is no need to ask what Danielle McLaughlin will do next—she has done it already. This book has arrived. I think it will stay with us for a long time.”—Anne Enright, Man Booker Prize–winning author of The Green Road
“Danielle McLaughlin’s stories seethe, beneath elegant prose, with unfamiliar insights and entirely original observations. Only an author who loves what human beings are can so compassionately reveal them in all their flawed, gorgeous contradictions and communicate unmistakable joy while doing so. How glad I am to read this impressive new writer! Her fiction is a gift we need.”—Robin Black, author of Life Drawing
“In McLaughlin’s world, the everyday has the same sparkle—or the same devastation—as a glittering galaxy or a war. There is no weakest link in this powerful set of stories—all the characters are given space and time for their stories to build to rich conclusions.”—Kirkus Reviews
21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
Just for joining you’ll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members.
Find Out More Join Now Sign In