 Farrar, Straus and Giroux 227 pages Product Description
<DIV><DIV><DIV><P>The stories in <I>A Better Angel</I> describe
the terrain of human suffering—illness, regret, mourning,
sympathy—in the most unusual of ways. In “Stab,” a bereaved twin
starts a friendship with a homicidal fifth grader in the hope
that she can somehow lead him back to his dead brother. In “Why
Antichrist?” a boy tries to contact the spirit of his dead
father and finds himself talking to the Devil instead. In the
remarkable title story, a ne’er do well pediatrician returns
home to take care of his dying father, all the while under the
scrutiny of an easily-disappointed heavenly agent.</P><P>With
<I>Gob’s Grief</I> and <I>The Children’s Hospital</I>, Chris
Adrian announced himself as a writer of rare talent and
originality. The stories in <I>A Better Angel</I>, some of which
have appeared in <I>The</I> <I>New Yorker</I>, <I>Tin House</I>,
and <I>McSweeney’s</I>, demonstrate more of his endless
inventiveness and wit, and they confirm his