Staff Rec: George Saunders's "Tenth of December"

The title of George Saunders' most recent short story collection, “Tenth of December,” is entirely fitting: like a wintry, windswept landscape, Saunders' stories are both breathtakingly beautiful and unremittingly bleak. The stories in “Tenth of December” are set in a very near future in which science and technology reign supreme. They are full of strange details—chemicals that create artificial emotions make multiple appearances—yet they address issues familiar to any reader. The standout of the collection, "The Semplica-Girl Diaries," skillfully intertwines science fiction-esque ideas with the worries and goals of an average middle-class family; the result is a devastating critique of consumerism and economic exploitation. These themes—particularly economic and social inequality, familial dysfunction, and the dark side of consumer capitalism—tie the stories together and make for an admirably coherent and effective whole.

Saunders has a well-earned reputation as one of the most relentlessly innovative writers in literature today, and his most recent collection continues to push the boundaries of storytelling. One story, "Sticks," is only two pages long, yet within it Saunders manages to paint a deeply affecting picture of a family's entire history together. The incredible restraint of "Sticks" allows a certain dark beauty to emerge in all the things Saunders leaves unsaid. This sort of selective exclusion characterizes Saunders's work. Another piece, "Exhortation," consists entirely of a mysterious office memo referring to "Room 6." What goes on in Room 6 is never explicitly stated, as Saunders prefers instead to let the tension of the story build slowly, almost invisibly. Other stories are told as diaries, or stream-of-consciousness narratives, or from the standpoint of a chemically altered state of mind, and Saunders pulls off each new approach brilliantly.

“Tenth of December” draws the reader in with its black humor and razor-sharp, perceptive commentary on modern life. The stories are relatable, often amusing, and always captivating, and they hit with an emotional impact that leaves the reader breathless.