The stories in 'Pastorialia' are set in a slightly skewed version of America, where elements of contemporary life have been merged, twisted and amplified, casting their absurdity - and our humanity - in a startling new light. Whether he writes a gothic morality tale in which a male exotic dancer is haunted by his maiden aunt from beyond the grave, or about a self-help guru who tells his followers his mission is to discover who's been "crapping in your oatmeal", Saunders's stories are both indelibly strange and vividly real.
George Saunders has been identified as a writer in the tradition of Mark Twain, Thomas Pynchon, and Kurt Vonnegut.
