My Date With Neanderthal Woman
Winner of the first Dzanc Short Story Collection Contest, Galef (Flesh)  presents 33 stories that often test the limits of macabre humor and  explore relationships with near-flawless timing. Though familiar  conflicts and character types recur--including outsiders braving the  rural south and academics in search of meaningful pursuits--Galef  enlivens them with original twists. Noteworthy selections include "The  Perfect Couple," the story of a morbid partnership cemented by a spirit  of one-upmanship in terms of "who [suffers] more and how;" "Breakfast of  Champions," featuring a young narrator who watches his father's attempt  to remake himself in widowhood;  "Natasha," a clever portrait of  industriousness and the aftermath of a biting remark; and  "Accommodations," a moving, if sometimes cruel, account of parenting in  mid-life and marital stasis. A handful of stories venture into the  outlandish with slightly less depth, broaching topics such as a  slave-owning woman and the titular date with a Neanderthal woman.  Galef's talent thrives in the more realistic, domestic scenarios, many  of which expose unsettling flaws in men and women that are both funny  and sympathetic, but the wilder stories still entertain. Highly  recommended for flash fiction enthusiasts. (Nov.)