"Monson parses the world and its constructs so finely, that anyone could be forgiven for feeling a little out of their depths. A little suspended disbelief may be required and certainly more than one reading, but if you wade deeply into these adventurous exercises the reward is often well worth it." -- The Brooklyn Rail "Monson's stories wrestle with grief and the mystery of life's bigger questions. Though, there are absurd and comic moments that take the edge of some of the challenging possibilities they pose." -- PSU Vanguard "Cozy domestic lives are routinely unsettled, sometimes violently, in this dystopian set of stories by seasoned experimenter Monson. Bemusing SF-tinged fare echoing the tone and spirit of Saunders and Vonnegut." -- Kirkus Reviews "Ander Monson has always been fascinated by . human creatures who unexpectedly shine their light on the rest of us.

[He] is an American Kafka . The Gnome Storie s will stay in your memory long after you have finished the book." --Charles Baxter "Like a haunted set of nested dolls, Ander Monson's excellent short stories open up to reveal the surprisingly looming, gothic spaces that contemporary American life inevitably contains." --Kelly Link.