Usual Mistakes, and Other Stories

Erin Flanagan is an associate professor of English at Wright State University. She is the author of It's Not Going to Kill You, and Other Stories, available in a Bison Books edition.

• AcknowledgmentsThe Usual MistakesInterventionHonda PeopleThe Story of GladysLaws of RelativityBurnAny Ordinary UncleIn This WeatherEvery Sad DetailThe Last GirlfriendCircus BezerkGoldfishSource Acknowledgments

"In this aptly titled debut collection, Flanagan's midwestern characters are driven by regret. . . . Flanagan's characters aren't afraid to stir the pot in the course of the action either. . . . Most of these tales . . . particularly the title story, about a lonely widow and a tattooed girl in an unlikely alliance, are enjoyable and tender, as good outweighs regret after all."—Booklist "If this second release to the fledgling 'Flyover Fiction' series is typical, one can safely predict that the series will be among the most significant in American letters. Flanagan writes with some of the same penetrating insights into the human condition that one finds in the work of Eudora Welty, Katherine Anne Porter, and Tennessee Williams. . . . Flanagan has a remarkable ability to penetrate the real people behind the facades they present to an often-judgmental public. This first collection augurs well for Flanagan's future. Hers is a singular talent. This book belongs in all collections supporting study of the short-story genre."—Choice "In 'Intervention,' another standout among the 12 pieces, Kate's boyfriend drags her to Myrtle Beach, where his mother has plotted to end his father's drinking; rather than a somber attempt to turn someone's life around, the intervention (the third in three years) most closely resembles a Super Bowl party. . . . The inventiveness of [Flanagan's] deceptively mild plots keep common themes fresh."—Publishers Weekly   "[Flanagan's] yarns of Midwesterners struggling with modern life are brightened by her sharp sense of humor."— Midwestern Writers to Watch, John Mark Eberhart, Kansas City Star "Given the range of situations portrayed in these stories—from the ordinary to the bizarre—Flanagan presents a consistent optimism about the possibilities for good behavior. . . . Flanagan . . . deftly probes the complexities of emotional relationships. . . . If The Usual Mistakes is representative of what's to come in this series, readers of fiction have much to look forward to." —Carolyn Johnsen, Lincoln Journal Star "Both gentle and wickedly funny, the stories in The Usual Mistakes beautifully define lives not so well lived. Flanagan, showing great insight into the hearts and hopes of characters who have little left to lose, gives these stories buoyancy and intelligence and allows the characters several delicious, irresistible moments of defiance."—Timothy Schaffert, author of The Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters