What is an atavist? Merriam Webster, once one goes to the definition for atavism, defines it as a throwback, or "a recurrence of or a reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach", etc... In Lydia Millet's latest collection of inter connected stories, that tittle sees the title concept applied to the different generations in a few connected families. (Millet's 2018 Fight No More was also a set of interconnected stories).

There are 14 chapters, each titles with a different "...ist" (tourist, optimist, artist, etc..). These ists highlight the chapter theme or the character's viewpoint or main focus. Central to the stories are two families, living in the suburbs. There is the family of physically active Buzz and his wife Amy with their children Liza and Nick. The other family is the widowed artists Helen and her daughters Mia and Shelley. They are both well-educated, liberal and supportive of their children who are at the crisis points of their lives. Nick had a great youth but is foundering now that he is out of school and is deeply troubled by climate change. Liza impulsively married Luis a "DACA" child. Helen's children are not as troubled, but Mia is in her Gap year, finding her purpose as a volunteer at a retirement home. Shelley has a boyfriend she's not sure of long term and works in the mercenary world of spin.

We do have some tangents such as one man who preys on women for his own satisfaction, but overall we see several characters grow and change as they move through their lives. Change is a major theme, as well as aging. Chapter's focus on specific issues, but their is a general divide between the challenges of personal lives versus the climatic crisis ever drawing nearer.

Despite these foci, the world of Atavists seems a little to pat and resolved, there is the climatic change of the future, but most of the featured character's lives seem resolved or more stable by the end. Buzz has a crisis of body that changes what he can do, and he then he has several different obsessions. Nick's mental state seems to be calmed through treatment and he might have found some form of happiness. The creep even seems to get his own comeuppance in marriage.

This is a bit frustrating, as Millet writes well, and the shorter length still provided a lot of space to cover many different viewpoints and themes. The narrative voice is also deeply observance, but lingers with the question, are we ignoring or greatest threat?

Recommended to readers of contemporary fiction, interconnected stories or character driven fiction.

Lydia Millet simply doesn't miss. In her new collection of connecting short stories, Millet deftly explores our relationships, our families, our self-definitions and our rapidly melting world. The author manages to fully inhabit each voice so effectively one of my favorites reads of the year so far!

Sharp, funny, and a little heartbreaking. Some stories hit harder than others, but overall a smart, lively read.

This collection really surprised me—in the best way. I usually struggle with short stories, but the way these are connected made it feel more like a full, layered novel. Each character felt real and distinct, and it was so satisfying to see them reappear in different contexts.

The writing is smart and sharp, with just the right amount of humor and heart. Even the quieter moments held weight. I flew through this and felt genuinely sad to leave the world Millet created. A beautiful, thoughtful, and rewarding read.

This was a fantastic collection of short stories. They're linked, and throughout the collection you find a bit of character development and a broader plot lines happening behind the scenes, which is rewarding for a reader like me who usually finds it difficult to get invested in shorts. The stories here are focused on characters, and I think where Millet shines here is the ability to write fully developed, distinct, and convincing characters that are complicated, sometimes unlikeable, but always compelling. The themes that the stories touch (social media, coping with being helpless, figuring out who to be) aren't particularly revelatory, but the amazing characterization still made this a stand-out collection.

Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for the e-ARC!

What a sharp collection of interconnected short stories focussing on a group of mostly middle class white people living in LA showcasing the collective anxiety of our times and the passivity to which we respond to it.

Each chapter is told from a different point of view of a relatively small group of people. From the LARPing (live action role play) of a 23 year old man who lives with his parents and doesn’t have much ambition, an overconfident gym rat who treats women as sheep in his flock (think Sarper from 90 Day Fiancé if you watch), to a young adult who sees a need among the more elderly in her community, Atavists has a fairly homogenous collection of characters who are all seeking some way to matter.

COVID and climate change flow in and out of the stories and show their impact profoundly. Each of the chapter titles is some kind of -ist (e.g. terrorist, cosmetologist, tourist, cultist, etc).

I found every story thought provoking and clever in its subtext. I now plan on seeking out Millet’s previous books as she is directly up my alley in terms of what I look for in a great read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @w.w.norton for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Atavists publishes April 22, 2025. If you love literary fiction with an edge, then seek this one out!

Brilliant writing and an interesting look at how seemingly unconnected people's lives interconnect.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. Whereas most short story collections take me a while to get through, the interconnections between the stories in this collection helped the book flow in a way and therefore I felt compelled to continue reading rather than taking more breaks.

Millet has a clear talent for characterisation and in the short space of time that each character was in focus I felt I got a really good sense of their personalities and motivations such that if/when they reappeared in another story the character was fully fleshed out already and didn't need further introduction. Rather, the reuse of characters built a better understanding and in some cases even some character development as they interacted with others.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who usually struggles with short stories as well as those that already love them!

Atavists is an engaging collection of loosely intertwined short stories that tackle head-on issues most of us here in North America are grappling with right now: corporate greed, climate change, the loneliness epidemic, the COVID pandemic, divisive politics, racism, sexism and more... not to mention the fear, ennui, nihilism, hopelessness, hopeFULness, and small glimmers of joy and love that go along with it.

These stories were beautifully written and masterfully linked. As short stories should, each one could stand alone, but when read in sequence there were frequent fun instances where the reader got to go "hey, I know this guy!" Millet captured the "vibe" of our current time so well. I felt myself relating to the characters in each story and experienced a few of those magic moments where an author describes exactly how I've been feeling - things I myself haven't yet been able to put into words.

Kudos to Millet for Atavists. I will be recommending this one to all of my friends and colleagues!

This book is a series of interconnected stories--I didn't really care for the characters and kept looking for nuggets of insights which never appeared.

I felt very ‘meh’ about this book while reading it. There was no obvious plot or theme; it read like a meandering commentary on modern-day upper-middle-class Americans that was neither here nor there. Each story was well-written and interesting enough, the characters were fleshed out well, but I have a hard time with books written from multiple perspectives that are just that, with no deeper meaning attached. I found the ending to be unnecessarily doom-oriented, with the last sentence leaving me so unnerved that the entire reading experience felt wasted on me. I, like Nick, have a hard time coping with the crushing weight of reality, and I don’t want to read something that only succeeds in adding to that. The novel does not inspire change, if that was the goal, but merely reflects a version of reality that might be contributing to our decline or is just aligned with it.

If you’re a liberal millennial/gen xer, this will hit all the right notes.

“Atavists” is a collection of interconnected short stories about understanding generational divide and finding meaning in things in an out of our control: from global political climates, to mental health, to finding meaning under capitalism, to giving two sh*ts about social media, to obsessive and easily dropped hobbies. This was at times hilarious, absurd, exciting and ridiculous. For me it was preaching to the choir but I was all ears.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lydia Millet and the publisher for this advanced copy. I loved it!

This was not the collection for me. I found these short stories to be trite and just...off. There was something about these stories that I did not enjoy, and I can't put my finger on it. The problems felt a little too basic suburban malaise for me maybe? If I think of it, I'll add to this review.

Lydia Millet's Atavists is an ambitious collection that takes on themes of capitalism, climate anxiety, and post-pandemic uncertainty. The stories connect in subtle ways, and offer snapshots of people navigating a world in flux.

There are moments of sharp wit and emotional resonance, and Millet's writing has a thoughtful, observant quality. While some dialogue feels a bit uniform the collection still offers valuable reflections on modern life. Some of the characters are often blurred together, I found it a bit hard to find distinct voices in each story.

bottom line: while not every story hit perfectly for me, Atavists is a worthwhile read for those who enjoy character-driven narratives with timely themes.

I've read and liked Dinosaurs, by Lydia Millet, but it wasn't memorable enough for me to have high expectations for this. So they were exceeded! It took a little while for the narrative voice to grow on me, but after a few stories it made sense. A few of the stories are LOL funny (especially The Cultist) and others are poignant or thought provoking. I especially enjoyed how loosely connected they were, with most characters getting their own POV story. While never the exclusive focus, a lot of the stories touched on recent topics, like covid, plagiarism, refugees, and online dating nightmares. I hope this gets picked up beyond Millet's fans.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A great collection of connected stories. Almost reads more like a novel, actually, but atmospheric. The mood here is so strong and there is an otherworldly feel to all of this even though it is realistically told. This was my first time reading Millet and I will for sure be looking into reading more of her work in the future.

A wonderful collection of intertwined, slice of life stories with a cast of characters who are brought to life with depth and ease.

Each story is a fascinating character study, and I do have to say I am especially floored by Millet’s uncanny ability to write realistic, self unaware male characters.

This was very much a surprising read for me considering I do not often pick up a collection of short stories let alone enjoy that collection. I find short stories to be often lacking in depth and was pleasantly surprised by this one. Some were better than others but overall the collective thread Perfectly encapsulated all the trappings of the modern world and the effects of technology on our personal relationships and perception of the world and other people. It felt like Lydia Millett was a kindred spirit because of the way that she’s so perfectly captured so many of my personal noises in aggravations, I can’t help but think that we would be good friends. It still wasn’t exactly an enjoyable reading experience focuses on things that make one uncomfortable but I think most people will read it and feel seen which is always a good thing.

This is a book of really beautiful interconnected short stories. Stunning little vignettes of everyday life. Lots of enjoyable commentary of modern life and all it's complexities and fast-moving complications. A really enjoyable read, an absolute treat of a book.

Lydia Millet’s collection of stories are refreshing, engaging, and quirky. I was gifted a copy and thoroughly enjoyed it. The stories tackled real life issues without coming off as being patronizing or giving a sermon to the reader. All of the characters in this collection are interconnected and seem to exist in the same world. This was an interesting technique. It almost made the short story collection more like a novel. I liked coming across characters we had met in a previous story in different ways and perspectives. I read this collection quickly because it as fast paced and moved along nicely. Prior to reading this collection, I read something much heavier and this was the perfect next move. There is a weight to the stories but they didn’t weigh me down. Seek out this book!

Poignant in a funny-sad way, these interconnected stories about mostly white upper-middle-class LA families deal with intergenerational attempts at connecting through and around technologies, coping with climate change and the dread of The End, stumbling on each other's porn histories, nail-biting over white guilt, breaking up and getting together. Connecting somehow. It doesn't add up to anything earth-shattering, but I loved it for its everyday truth-telling, a series of refreshing little paintings about our ridiculous modern world.