In this Book

summary
In Ryan MacDonald’s stories, most no more than a page in length, we are given glimpses of a father and daughter at the zoo; an isolated man lamenting the absence of TV in his life; two young men atop a fridge at a party, drinking wine. These are stories of marriage and family, of the oddities of the natural world, of college parties, of web-cams and media obsession.
 
As MacDonald says, “I think what I’m after in the stories as well as in the video work is finding an experiential moment, nothing really stable, something pleasantly unstable, or uncomfortable . . . purposefully pleasant uncomfortable instability with moments of tenderness and definitely humor. Certainly nothing concrete, unless it needs that. A certain fear of and respect for banality. I’m after a good time, which can often turn into a really bad time, but either way, one we’ll remember forever.”
 
Despite the range of circumstances they reveal, these stories are unified by a brightness of vision, deft observation, and consistently sharp, funny, and unbridled language.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title Page, Copyright, Dedication
  2. pp. i-vi
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. vii-xii
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  1. The Observable Characteristics of Organisms
  2. pp. 1-3
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  1. The Storm
  2. pp. 4-5
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  1. Canto
  2. pp. 6-7
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  1. Item
  2. pp. 8-9
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  1. Lollipop Lane
  2. pp. 10-12
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  1. Carl Jung Buys Beans
  2. pp. 13-15
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  1. Dial 7 for Roberto
  2. pp. 16-18
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  1. The Sun
  2. pp. 19-20
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  1. CHiPS
  2. pp. 21-22
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  1. The End
  2. pp. 23-24
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  1. The Professor, His Pupil, and His Puppy Pickle
  2. pp. 25-26
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  1. It Is My Understanding
  2. pp. 27-28
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  1. Stuck
  2. pp. 29-30
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  1. Girl, Makes Sense to Me
  2. pp. 31-33
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  1. Norman Mailer
  2. pp. 34-35
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  1. The Turning of Events
  2. pp. 36-37
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  1. Urgebirge
  2. pp. 38-40
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  1. Predation
  2. pp. 41-42
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  1. Shifting and Plummeting
  2. pp. 43-44
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  1. “Tell Me with Whom You Walk and I Will Tell You Who You Are”
  2. pp. 45-46
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  1. She Thought
  2. pp. 47-48
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  1. “Since We Are Lost, Let’s Go to the River”
  2. pp. 49-50
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  1. Blow the Man Down
  2. pp. 51-53
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  1. In the Mud, in Her Arms
  2. pp. 54-55
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  1. It’s Only a Matter of Time
  2. pp. 56-57
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  1. To Be Read Aloud with a Lisp
  2. pp. 58-61
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  1. The Scapegoat
  2. pp. 62-64
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  1. Appropriately Hungry
  2. pp. 65-66
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  1. Charles and Rita
  2. pp. 67-69
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  1. Dutch
  2. pp. 70-71
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  1. So That’s There?
  2. pp. 72-73
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  1. Wild Ass
  2. pp. 74-75
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  1. Quality Time
  2. pp. 76-77
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  1. The Hole
  2. pp. 78-79
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  1. Wakefield
  2. pp. 80-82
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  1. Blue River Road
  2. pp. 83-84
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  1. Dead Skunk
  2. pp. 85-86
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  1. Retirement Is a Flamingo Pond
  2. pp. 87-88
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  1. TV
  2. pp. 89-90
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  1. January
  2. pp. 91-92
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  1. A Small Death
  2. pp. 93-94
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  1. My Head Is a Punch Bowl
  2. pp. 95-96
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  1. Preggos
  2. pp. 97-99
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  1. The Burial
  2. pp. 100-102
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  1. The Recent Local Phenomenon
  2. pp. 103-105
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  1. My Novel
  2. pp. 106-107
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  1. The Beast
  2. pp. 108-109
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  1. Sponsorship
  2. pp. 110-111
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  1. A Handful
  2. pp. 112-114
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  1. Road Trip
  2. pp. 115-116
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  1. Sally
  2. pp. 117-118
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  1. I No Longer Need Him
  2. pp. 119-120
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  1. Frozen Dinner
  2. pp. 121-122
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  1. The Punishment
  2. pp. 123-124
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  1. There Is a House There
  2. pp. 125-126
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  1. When I’m Feeling Up to It
  2. pp. 127-128
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  1. Brass Tacks
  2. pp. 129-131
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  1. I Am a Natural Wonder
  2. pp. 132-133
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  1. Redolent Son
  2. pp. 134-135
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  1. Into the Woods
  2. pp. 136-137
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  1. A Confluence of Occurrences
  2. pp. 138-139
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  1. Altered Beast
  2. pp. 140-141
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  1. Another Day at the A&P
  2. pp. 142-143
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  1. My Friend’s Father
  2. pp. 144-146
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  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. 147-148
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