Bed : Stories

Contains nine short stories by American author Tao Lin, which feature characters who struggle with laziness, boredom, exhaustion, and other emotions and situations.“Tao Lin writes from moods that less radical writers would let pass - from laziness, from vacancy, from boredom. And it turns out that his report from these places is moving and necessary, not to mention frequently hilarious.” - Miranda July, author of No One Belongs Here More Than YouCollege students, recent graduates, and their parents work at Denny's, volunteer at a public library in suburban Florida, attend satanic ska/punk concerts, eat Chinese food with the homeless of New York City, and go to the same Japanese restaurant in Manhattan three times in two sleepless days, all while yearning constantly for love, a better kind of love, or something better than love, things which - much like the Loch Ness Monster - they know probably do not exist, but are rumoured to exist and therefore "good enough.""In structure and tone, [the stories in Bed] have the feel of early Lorrie Moore and Deborah Eisenberg. Like Moore's characters, there are a lot of plays on language and within each story, a return to the same images or ideas - or jokes. And like Moore, most of these characters live in New York, are unemployed or recently employed, and are originally from somewhere more provincial (Florida in Lin's case, Wisconsin in Moore's). However, Lin knows to dig a little deeper into his characters - something we see in Moore's later stories, but less so in her early ones." - Jennifer Bassett, KGB Bar Lit An absurdist short story collection about the woes of 21st-century living - from an author whose writing is "moving and necessary, not to mention frequently hilarious" (Miranda July). "Tao Lin writes from moods that less radical writers would let pass from laziness, from vacancy, from boredom. And it turns out that his report from these places is moving and necessary, not to mention frequently hilarious." Miranda July A startlingly original voice announces itself immediately in this collection of award-winning stories. Tao Lins absorbing writing style matches a minimalist prose with a lyric sensibility, poignant compassion with a hysterical sense of humor, bitter reality with enchanting fantasy, and youthful outlandishness with a gentle, mature perceptivenessall in shaped stories that are a tribute to the form. In a series of pinpoint portrayals, Lins tales depict young people in a surreal place between irresponsible youth and workaday adulthood, wanting to reject both cultures in order to craft something different. But such rebellion is harder than ever in a culture dominated by outrageousness, and Lin sensitively portrays the struggle in a way that is highly entertaining, impressively smart, and ultimately moving. It will leave some cheering the war against a dumbed-down culture, others laughing at the tactics, and all concerned feeling like theyve got a new champion in Tao Lin. Tao Lin , also author of the novel Eeeee Eee Eeee , lives in New York City. An absurdist short story collection about the woes of 21st-century living—from an author whose writing is “moving and necessary, not to mention frequently hilarious” (Miranda July) College students, recent graduates, and their parents work at Denny's, volunteer at a public library in suburban Florida, attend satanic ska/punk concerts, eat Chinese food with the homeless of New York City, and go to the same Japanese restaurant in Manhattan three times in two sleepless days, all while yearning constantly for love, a better kind of love, or something better than love, things which—much like the Loch Ness Monster—they know probably do not exist, but are rumored to exist and therefore “good enough.” Contains Nine Short Stories By American Author Tao Lin, Which Feature Characters Who Struggle With Laziness, Boredom, Exhaustion, And Other Emotions And Situations. Love Is A Thing On Sale For More Money Than There Exists -- Three-day Cruise -- Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues -- Sincerity -- Love Is The Indifferent God Of The Religion In Which Universe Is Church -- Cull The Steel Heart, Melt The Ice One, Love The Weak Thing; Say Nothing Of Consolation, But Irrelevance, Disaster, And Nonexistence; Have No Hope Or Hate-nothing; Ruin Yourself Exclusively, Completely, And Whenever Possible -- Nine, Ten -- Insomnia For A Better Tomorrow -- Sasquatch. By Tao Lin. College students, recent graduates, and their parents work at Denny’s, volunteer at a public library in suburban Florida, attend satanic ska/punk concerts, eat Chinese food with the homeless of New York City, and go to the same Japanese restaurant in Manhattan three times in two sleepless days, all while yearning constantly for love, a better kind of love, or something better than love, things which - much like the Lock Ness Monster - they know probably do not exist, but are rumored to exist and therefore "good enough."