The BostonsCarolyn Cooke's stories have been featured in several volumes of PRIZE STORIES: THE O. HENRY AWARDS and THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES. Her highly anticipated debut collection tells hilarious and often savage truths about people struggling within the confines of history, society, and class. Mr. Sargent, the aging Brahmin aesthete of the title story, scribbles his epiphanies on cocktail napkins and covers them up with his drinks. A Maine innkeeper

married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy

ready to send these pretty little liars to a watery grave

he urged Jared to grab his younger brother and flee the house

and dwelling on the past

against brutal competition

his memoirs

It is both engaging and educationally sound

and shake the soul from one of the most unique and popular literary artists of our day

Boyle returns with an inventive

Paul Strand has been estranged from his family

Ginny Goblin has one simple rule to follow: She is not allowed to open this box

Where did these boxes come from