I’m ashamed to admit that this is my first Perrotta book.  A friend recommended it to me, and I took his advice mostly because I respect his opinion and I enjoy short stories. Well, I can honestly say that Perrotta instantly made me a fan for life with this collection.

Nine Inches is comprised of several short stories, none of which overtly link together.  Thematically, however, each are very similar in how things can go so, so wrong in the blink of an eye. 

Not that it’s a depressing book.  At times, in fact, it’s quite funny.  Perrotta simply doesn’t back off from those dark thoughts we all occasionally entertain.  His characters—sometimes deliberately, sometimes accidentally—act upon those dark thoughts, and Perrotta then throws their lives out of control.

It’s been a long time since I read an author who fundamentally understands people.  He knows us when we’re good, he knows us when we’re bad, and he captures those moments on the page exquisitely. 

His characters are not always likable, but they are real … they are you … they are me.  They are the versions of us after our lives unravel. 

I cannot wait to read Perrotta’s other works.