For the Relief of Unbearable Urges

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Already sold in eight countries, these nine energized stories from Nathan Englander showcase a remarkable new talent. In "The Twenty-seventh Man," an error lands earnest, unpublished Pinchas Pelovits in prison with twenty-six writers facing execution under Stalin. In a moment of torture, he composes a mini-masterpiece, reciting it before both he and his audience meet annihilation. "The Gilgul of Park Avenue" depicts a Protestant's religious awakening in a New York taxi. The title story humorously explores a Hasidic man's frustration with his wife's prolonged menstrual cycle, leading him to seek a prostitute with rabbinical permission. These tales are inventive and haunting, deeply rooted in Jewish history and Orthodox customs. They reflect a spirit that finds faith in doubt and depth in despair. Englander imagines Polish Jews on their way to Auschwitz, transforming them into acrobats evading danger, and he gives an elderly wigmaker a fleeting moment of beauty. Time and again, he uncovers hope beyond death's reach. This collection is a stunning blend of authority and imagination, offering a wondrous yet wrenchingly sad experience that announces the arrival of a profoundly gifted storyteller.