In 'Our Strangers,' life's less exciting aspects are deemed fascinating

Lydia Davis is a sly miniaturist whose distinct blend of personal reflection, flash fiction, and poetic concision serve up little epiphanies in shot glass-sized portions. Her decision to have her first story collection in 10 years sold exclusively through independent bookstores has made headlines and necessitated breaking with her longtime publisher.

Fortunately, Our Strangers, which is Bookshop.org's first publication, is notable for more than its author's stand against online behemoths.

Davis has been hailed as "our Vermeer," "a magician," and a "distinct and crookedly personal" writer.,an anthology that encompasses all her short fiction through 2008. Two brick-like volumes of collected essays released in 2019 and 2021-- on her work in fiction and translation, respectively — further showcased the substantial heft of her oeuvre.