The four novellas of Andre Dubus III’s Dirty Love (W.W. Norton, $25.95) are emotionally resonant and searingly honest narratives of obsession, longing, and regret. Hailing from a small town north of Boston, the characters in these interconnected stories are distinctly human and sensitively rendered. We see ourselves in them, for better and for worse. Whether it’s the corporate manager investigating his wife’s adultery, or the bartender/would-be poet cheating on his pregnant wife, or the high school girl hiding from her shame after an unfortunate episode while waiting tables and studying for her GED, we recognize a distinct human grandeur in the characters’ weakness. Each piece in this volume is wonderfully entertaining, but at its core the collection shows an amazing understanding of the way people live, think, and feel.
