After the Plague

Book excerpt: Sixteen “uproarious and unforgiving” (The New Yorker) short stories from the New York Times bestselling author of The Tortilla Curtain “In an age of war where the foe is indistinct and difficult to identify, Boyle has become both the poet and the prophet of our time.”—Los Angeles Times Throughout his literary career, T.C. Boyle, one of the acknowledged masters of the short story, has refined his inventive, modern, and wickedly witty style. These sixteen stories—nine of which have appeared in The New Yorker—address an amazing array of subjects in a range of emotional keys. Some tap today’s headline news, from air range (“Friendly Skies”) to abortion doctors (“Killing Babies”), while others explore timeless themes, from first love and its consequences (“The Love of My Life”) to confrontations with mortality (“Rust”). Combining joy and humor with the dark, intense scenarios that have earned Boyle national acclaim, After the Plague is a gripping ride through narratives that shock, compel, and entertain.