The setting of Al Roosten is a Local Celebrity Auction, a charity event organized by a small town chamber of commerce to raise money to fight drugs. According to Al Roosten, the title character, himself and Donfrey are “the twin pillars of the local business community.” But in reality, Al is running a failing business […]

Now I’m not sure what this was all about. In a memo, Todd, a low-level manager explains the importance of positive outlook to his underlings. He tells them about the dead whale which he and a few of his friends had to lift onto a flatbed. They had first tried to lift the dead carcass […]

Puppy by George Saunders is thought-provoking. The story alternates between the perspective of two mothers, Marie and Callie, whose sons have behavioral disorders. Puppy begins by looking into the life of Marie. She is a suburban mother who keeps her son; Josh’s violent outbursts under control by having him glued to a video game. Marie’s […]

Sticks, the second story in Tenth of December is possibly the shortest in the collection. Sticks is the story of a grown man reminiscing memories of his father. The Dad in the story is a strict, controlling parent who yelled at his children over trivial things like wasting a slice of an apple and monitored the […]

Victory Lap which was first published in The New Yorker is the first story in George Saunders’ award-winning short story collection, Tenth of December. The story begins with the perspective of Alison Pope, a teenage girl who is almost fifteen. We find her daydreaming – imagining herself in a grand ball looking for her “special […]