A collection of short stories, many previously published in literary magazines. The book weaves literal and figurative together in a series of slice of life tales, many of which were inspired by Guinness Book of World Records entries.
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. My favorites were those anchored with little snippets from the Guinness Book of World Records. What motivated the characters to break the records? Which were broken by happenstance? Who are the people behind them? Other standouts for me were "Sousathon," which explores the relationship between band kids and cheerleaders in a small town, and "Noah Filkins Is an Amazing Lover," in which the narrator deals with the lingering guilt of her infidelity. Powerful little slices of life.