Honey in the Carcase

Novakovich’s 14 remarkable stories explore the contemporary state of alienation, both physical and emotional. In “Lies,” set in war-torn Croatia, a slightly older brother convinces his sibling that he possesses a squadron of miniature soldiers. A young man with a poetic soul and no lover bemoans the current age and its lack of romance in “A Variation on a Theme of Boccaccio.” A hitchhiker from Yugoslavia experiences ignorance and racism as he travels across the Midwest in “Tumbleweed.” In “Charity Deductions,” a man identifying himself as “proud to be an American” gets so exasperated by the war in Bosnia he watches coverage of on CNN that he goes to help, in person, leading to unexpected consequences. In these stories, a straight-faced absurdity often simmers just below the surface. “My Hairs Stood Up” is narrated by a rodent, and in the title story, a young husband takes refuge from the madness of war by keeping bees—bees that add a haunting coda to the tale’s ending. Every story in this collection from Novakovich (April Fool’s Day) begins with a straightforward statement of premise—“At a Soho pub, David hosted a reunion of his friends from college”—yet his prose is so balanced and apt, with not a superfluous clause or descriptor, that it always lands artfully. This is a haunting, accomplished collection. (Feb.)