{"product_id":"atavists-stories-lydia-millet-hardcover","title":"Atavists: Stories -- Lydia Millet, Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe word \u003cem\u003eatavism\u003c\/em\u003e, coined by a botanist and popularized by a criminologist, refers to the resurfacing of a primitive evolutionary trait or urge in a modern being. This inventive collection from Lydia Millet offers overlapping tales of urges ranging from rage to jealousy to yearning--a fluent triumph of storytelling, rich in ideas and emotions both petty and grand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe titular atavists include an underachieving, bewildered young bartender; a middle-aged mother convinced her gentle son-in-law is fixated on geriatric porn; a bodybuilder with an incel's fantasy life; an arrogant academic accused of plagiarism; and an empty-nester dad determined to host refugees in a tiny house in his backyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs they pick away at the splitting seams in American culture, Millet's characters shimmer with the sense of powerlessness we share in an era of mass overwhelm. A beautician in a waxing salon faces a sudden resurgence of grief in the midst of a bikini Brazilian; a couple sets up a camera to find out who's been slipping homophobic letters into their mailbox; a jilted urban planner stalks a man she met on a dating app.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn its rich warp and weft of humiliations and human error, \u003cem\u003eAtavists\u003c\/em\u003e returns to the trenchant, playful social commentary that made \u003cem\u003eA Children's Bible\u003c\/em\u003e a runaway hit. In these stories sharp observations of middle-class mores and sanctimony give way to moments of raw exposure and longing: Atavists performs an uncanny fictional magic, full of revelation but also hilarious, unpretentious, and warm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Lydia Millet\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e W. W. Norton \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/22\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781324074410\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2024 pg. 3","brand":"Lydia Millet","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46292281393380,"sku":"9781324074410","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0611\/9587\/8628\/files\/9781324074410.jpg?v=1746249773","url":"https:\/\/bookandmortar.com\/products\/atavists-stories-lydia-millet-hardcover","provider":"BookandMortar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}