Keeping this quote in mind, I set about the task of selecting my favorite books from the year 2000. Good books should alternately break our hearts and make us laugh. All of the works of fiction mentioned below did just that, often combining sophisticated writing with simple stories.
Some stories tie into others, some stand alone, all are hilarious and clever.
These tiny little vignettes embody themes of infidelity, death, insanity and insecurity, providing a window into the world of dating and sex that is at times crystal-clear, at times a bit foggy. I liked it so much that I actually e-mailed the author and found that he is a really nice Englishman who hates adverbs. I eagerly await his next piece of writing. Filled with surprises, each narrator tells a story that weaves into the others, often with an undercurrent of humor rippling just below the surface. A surprising bonus is that the book is set in good old Ann Arbor.