Atavists: Stories In this richly nuanced portrait

In this richly nuanced portrait of Mark Twain

or is Greg's life destined to be just another hard-luck story

The first book from the legendary New Yorker writer John McPhee

giving readers key clues about art movements and creators

Atavists: Stories In this richly nuanced portraitThe word atavism, coined by a botanist and popularized by a criminologist, refers to the resurfacing of a primitive evolutionary trait or urge in a modern being. This inventive collection from Lydia Millet offers overlapping tales of urges ranging from rage to jealousy to yearning a fluent triumph of storytelling, rich in ideas and emotions both petty and grand. The titular atavists include an underachieving, bewildered young bartender; a middle aged