One of Us: Stories

Fiction. Jewish Studies. Short Stories. Winner of the G. S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short Fiction, selected by Amina Gautier. The stories in ONE OF US explore the tension between groups and individuals, the allure of tribalism, the claustrophobia of belonging, and the alienation that comes with separation. They range from autobiographical to historical and roam temporally and geographically, chronicling, among others, an encounter between the sculptor Louise Nevelson and the anti-Semitic French writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline; a synagogue congregation facing ongoing public scandal; a comedy improv troupe trying to cross the threshold from amateur to professional; and a young man navigating the competing pulls of adventure and domestic bliss at the cusp of the new millennium.