The stories in Margaret Malone’s People Like You are so good—they’re only-book-on-a-desert-island good. They are exactly why I read, with their sumptuous minimalism, their gorgeous, particular detail, their delicious deadpan humor, their off-kilter characters. Like the book’s title, every sentence and paragraph is elegantly constructed to mean what it means and to mean more. But the main reason I’d keep this book on that desert island and go without warmth if it were the last piece of available kindling is that underneath all of Malone’s delicately-honed skill is a voice so true, so absolutely you and me, bearing witness to the traumas, triumphs and tragedies of all the tiny moments of regular life.
–Gigi Little, Powell’s Books, Portland, OR
Aptly titled, People Like You, the debut story collection from Portland writer Margaret Malone, captures the desires, frustrations, and absurdities of modern life. Set in the Western states, these closely observed tales are told through the eyes of women, but are equally concerned with the men who share their lives. A newly engaged high school graduate takes a road trip to Reno with her fiance and his chain-smoking mom. A secretary follows her boss into the woods on a literal (and hilarious) wild goose chase. And a married couple, recurrent in three of these pieces, struggles with conceiving a child. Malone’s stories burn with unfulfilled yearning and spark with the frayed connections between her exquisitely rendered characters. These are people you feel that you know. People who are so like all of us. People like you.
—Michael Keefe, Annie Bloom’s Booksellers, Portland, OR
Isn’t it great when local authors and local bookstores connect? Stop by your local independent bookstore to see what debuts and long-time favorites from near and far your booksellers recommend.
