A New York Times Notable BookA Washington Post Notable BookA Best Book of the Year: San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Financial Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, BookPage "Heartbreaking. . . . Mordantly funny. . . . Takes us on a rare flight of self-transcendence. . . . Moments of recognition bring jolts like electric shocks." --The New York Review of Books "Wonderful. . . . Masterful. . . . Profound. . . . Not a single false note." --USA Today "[Moore] deftly paints with negative space, releasing tremendous poignancy. . . . A vibrant and nimble display of Moore's signature wit." --San Francisco Chronicle "Ms Moore's writing glides. She describes the mundane with precision and grace. . . . Bark simultaneously honours and regrets the messiness of human relationships. Ms Moore is like one of her characters: 'sternness in one eye and gentleness in the other.'" --The Economist "One of the finest short story writers in the country." --Los Angeles Review of Books "[Moore's] writing contains multitudes, mixed in exacting proportions, which is to say: this potpourri is utterly and totally unique. . . . There really is no one quite like her." --The New Republic "Lorrie Moore still dazzles. . . . These powerfully, almost savagely, human stories shine with a spirit of playfulness and the logic of love." --O, The Oprah Magazine