Camille Bordas

PRAISE FOR CAMILLE BORDAS: ''Camille Bordas is an invaluable new voice'' George Saunders''Funny, humane and slyly philosophical'' Zadie SmithA young woman takes stock after the burglary of her apartment. A teenager becomes obsessed with the obituaries in a weekly magazine. Grandchildren mourn the grandparents who loved them and the grandparents who didn''t. Painters and almost-painters try to distinguish Good Art from Bad Art. People grapple with life-altering illness, unrequited love, and promises they have every intention of keeping. Some win the lottery. Some don''t.In these sinewy, thoughtful stories, celebrated author Camille Bordas delves into the mysteries of life, death, and all that happens in between. Darkly funny and poignantly self-aware, Bordas''s writing offers a window into our shared, flawed humanity without insisting on a perfect understanding of our experiences.

''Utterly charming ... Bordas is an invaluable new voice'' George Saunders ''A disquisition into the nature of comedy and creativity. Like the best comedians ... Bordas is alert to the deeper joke'' Sunday Times''Marvellously engaging and entertaining ... full of terrific moments and cutting dialogue'' IndependentEvery comedian knows that there''s a line between sharp and cruel, that sad becomes funny at the right angle, that any moment in life, however painful or triumphant, can be turned into a punchline. But at the Chicago Stand-up School, it seems as if the students and teachers are just too wounded, mixed up, self-involved or fearful to land the joke. It''s unclear whether the visiting tutor - successful, controversial Manny Reinhardt - will help or hinder their progress. Set over the course of a single day, The Material examines life through the eyes of these misfits bound together by the need to laugh, and to make others laugh even harder.''This novel is so smart. Camille Bordas has exposed the "material" of stand-up by making stand-up her material. Brilliance is on display here'' Percival Everett, Booker-shortlisted author of James