Not a Thing to Comfort You

”I couldn’t help but think of Andrea Barrett when I read this collection with all its funny, inventive stories in which the natural world and humanity collide with each other. There’s such careful attention paid in these stories, to people and the environment alike.”—Carmen Maria Machado, judge, 2019 Iowa Short Fiction Award

“Populated with all manner of wild animals, endangered species, and flawed people, the endlessly readable stories in Not A Thing to Comfort You remind me of campfire ranger talks, if the rangers are Annie Proulx or Raymond Carver and the untended campfire burns down an entire forest. Wortman-Wunder now certainly enters the ranks of our finest naturalist writers, yet what gives these stories their remarkable power and depth is her lifetime of meticulous field work on the always unpredictable human heart.”—Justin Hocking, author, The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld: A Memoir

“Emily Wortman-Wunder’s stunning stories demand our attention. Graceful in style, bountiful in their knowledge of the natural world, they move effortlessly from Beethoven concertos to bear hibernacula, from suburban homes to rural trailers. These stories don’t mind getting their hands dirty excavating secrets, but they just as painstakingly illuminate lives in search of love and connection. A rich and affecting collection.”—Steven Schwartz, author, Madagascar: New and Selected Stories

“Not a Thing to Comfort You is a virtuosic debut collection of fiction.This book reminded me why I love short stories.”—Steven Church, author, I’m Just Getting to the Disturbing Part: On Work, Fear, and Fatherhood

“There’s a sleight-of-hand magic in Not a Thing to Comfort You. Don’t come to this book seeking sentimentality or tired tropes. Wortman-Wunder’s voice and her sensibility are fresh, sometimes alarming, and always deeply satisfying.”—BK Loren, author, Theft: A Novel