The State We're In: Maine Stories - Softcover

"Sparkling.... [her stories] finish with a quiet flourish, throwing a sudden subtle twist at us... In the end, these carefully drawn, minutely illustrated portraits of women-- and men-- depict slices of life in all its complexity."--Tom Lavoie "Shelf Awareness "

"Moving fluidly between adolescents and septuagenarians, it leaves us with the sense that uncertainty, disconnection, is not a matter of chronology but rather of being alive."--David Ulin "Los Angeles Times "

"Beattie is a master at depicting the peculiarly painful valor necessary for contending with troubled family members, spouses, lovers, neighbors, even pets. She is also that rarest of beings, a brilliantly comic literary writer... Most often, it's her skirmishing dialogue that makes us laugh out loud... [a] stellar collection by Beattie, a writer revered and honored for her keen insights and wit."--Donna Seaman "Booklist, STARRED review "

"Beattie's signature gifts - her finely tuned language, droll wit, unerring feel for popular culture- are on rich display here...vivid...More than a paean to the Pine Tree State, The State We're In underscores the indelible contribution Beattie has made to American short fiction." --Hamilton Cain "O, The Oprah Magazine "

"One of America's finest authors--and arguably best living short-story writer."--Heidi Julavits "Interview "

"Splendid... memorable... Beattie's sociological wit and probity are truly unsurpassed in our literature... though I didn't think this was possible, I experienced an even more heightened awe of Beattie's skills... The dexterity of tone, fearless honesty, and close mapping of lives that may lead to ghastly revelations or even redemption are sheer gifts of reading... this collection has many, many moments of utter surprise. In fact, every page is fitted out with the blessed finery of hypnotic storytelling."--Howard Norman "Washington Post "

"A peerless, contemplative page-turner."--Nicole Jones "Vanity Fair "

"Edgy, funny and dark... Beattie's unerring dialogue exposes each story's truths... effortless grace."--Carol Memmott "Minneapolis Star-Tribune "

"Slyly funny, still exhibiting the author's nonlinear narrative style and unique gift of reflecting our inner angst with our surroundings... With a few deft strokes and not a little humor, Beattie paints the nuances... A sense of discomfort pervades The State We're In, but thanks to the Beattie's trademark sleek prose and perfectly calibrated authorial distance, it makes for weirdly entertaining reading."--Ellen Kanner "Miami Herald "

"What has always set Beattie's stories apart is their open-ended capaciousness, so unlike the deterministic, epiphany-shaped prose that has defined the short form... THE STATE WE'RE IN is a revelation, and is shaded by the perspective of an author who now understands both sides of a generational divide... In a Beattie story, perspective is preeminent, and it's never one you expect. The unwieldiness of human nature, the strangeness of time and circumstance, inevitably shine through."--Megan O'Grady "Vogue "

An award-winning short story master presents a collection of new, linked tales that impart the diverse perspectives of women orbiting around a disaffected teen who is staying with relatives while attending summer school.