The qualities of Antonya Nelson’s short story writing are not what you’d call indefinable or elusive — they are, rather, stunningly concrete and tangible. This is a writer who seems to ghost-write other peoples’ lives: writes lines we wish we could write, articulates ideas felt but only haltingly spoken. The words she uses to do this are chosen with the fastidiousness and perfection of poetry, yet this is a writer who practically wallows in her prose. It’s dirt, but clean dirt. And she does it all flagrantly, in words that can be read again and again without losing their force or wit. Read more…