{"product_id":"atavists-stories","title":"Atavists: Stories","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: \u003cem\u003eAtavists\u003c\/em\u003e performs an uncanny fictional magic, full of revelation but also hilarious, unpretentious, and warm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1324074418\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781324074410\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Millet, Lydia\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: W. W. Norton \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"W. W. Norton \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Apr 2025)","offer_id":46080152502469,"sku":"9781324074410","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781324074410.jpg?v=1776034839","url":"https:\/\/www.inveni.store\/products\/atavists-stories","provider":"Inveni","version":"1.0","type":"link"}