Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It

One of the most critically acclaimed books of the year from a master of the short story. One of the most celebrated new writers of the last decade returns with an extraordinary collection of stories demonstrating the emotional power and the clean, assured style for which she's become famous. Set mostly in the American West, the stories explore the moral quandaries of love, family, and friendship and examine the tensions between having and wanting, as small-town lawyers, ranchers, doctors, parents, and children try to keep hold of opposing forces in their lives: innocence and experience, risk and stability, fidelity and desire.

Maile Meloy is the author of the story collection Half in Love and the novels Liars and Saints and A Family Daughter. Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Granta, Zoetrope: All-Story, and other publications. She lives in Los Angeles.