RaveThe New York Times Book ReviewD’Ambrosio has...published two fine collections of short stories, but it is his essays, appearing in literary magazines and previously in an obscure small-press edition, that have been garnering a cult reputation. Now that they are gathered in such a generous collection, we can see he is one of the strongest, smartest and most literate essayists practicing today. This, one would hope, is his moment ... The presentation of himself as a damaged outsider, barely holding on, ups the dramatic ante, though it does seem at odds with the accomplished, balanced, commanding prose D’Ambrosio appears able to muster with every sentence — not to mention his prestigious awards and teaching stints. But he certainly has cause to feel damaged, as we learn from his family history ... Isolation is D’Ambrosio’s big subject ... He can be very witty: A sense of humor comes and goes in these essays, but loneliness and forlorn sorrow are never far away ... These are highly polished, finished, exemplary performances.
Roger Angell
PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewSome of the writing is terrific, some very slight. Is it modesty, vanity or both that has prompted the author to include the weak with the strong, the trivial with the pungent, so that readers may get a chance to see him in all his moods and musings? Whichever the case, not only is no harm done, but there is a certain generosity operating here, an assumption of friendship between reader and writer, the way one is pleased to hear what a friend has to say no matter what the occasion.
