The Cheater's Guide to Love; Faber and Faber, 2021

Faber Stories, a landmark series of individual volumes, presents masters of the short story form at work in a range of genres and styles. You try every trick in the book to keep her. You write her letters. You drive her to work. You quote Neruda … You try it all, but one day she will simply sit up in bed and say, No more. In Yunior, a Dominican–American writer and Harvard professor, Junot Diaz has created an irresistibly erratic protagonist, who sweeps you up in the poetic energy of his speech as he rehearses a broad repertoire of bad behaviour. Originally the climactic tale in the chain-linked This is How You Lose Her, ‘The Cheater’s Guide to Love’ is a superb standalone song of decadence and experience. Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.