Baboon

Naja’s collection, which won the Nordic Council Literature Prize, offers 15 slice-of-life stories ranging on subjects from infidelity to assault to grocery-store theft to child abuse. All her stories are precise and evocative, often inspiring a strange balance between curiosity and anxiety in the reader. Naja pokes at everyday suffering—“Candy” traces a man’s spiraling fury following his wife’s detainment for accidently stealing sweets. Despite the humor, Naja’s stories frequently veer toward more challenging subject matter. In “Honeymoon,” a psychopath molests a woman while her boyfriend helplessly watches. “Interruption” tells the story of a terrified woman who intrudes in a man’s apartment and is willing to do nearly anything in order to stay. As novel as Naja’s perspectives are, some of her stories lack a clear intention—the result of her characters’ often confusing or obscure inner lives. This collection is for those who delight in the eccentric and the atmospheric; Naja inspires readers to read between the lines. (Oct.)