Quotes
“Patrick Dacey is one of my favorite young American writers. The stories in We’ve Already Gone This Far are dangerous, funny, sometimes savage (the phrase ‘lyrical hammers’ comes to mind), but underneath it all beats a strangely kind and hopeful heart. Dacey is channeling both a terrifyingly dark view of America as well as a movingly optimistic one, and he shows us that the truth of who we are lies in that very juxtaposition. Fast, poetic, edgy, full of tremendous affection for the things of the world.” George Saunders, National Book Award–nominated author
“We’ve Already Gone this Far is a strong, intelligent, deeply-felt book; Patrick Dacey is a beautiful and natural writer.” Mary Gaitskill, National Book Award–nominated author
“These tales of neighborly conflicts, professional and personal malaise, and family tragedy are marked by a certain buoyancy. In describing these frustrated lives, Dacey can be as funny as he is compassionate…Dacey’s breakout collection shows that small towns can still yield big fictional rewards.” Publishers Weekly
“In the keen, observational short-story style of writers such as George Saunders and Lauren Groff, We’ve Already Gone This Far illuminates both the quotidian details and the profound strangeness of modern American life. Readers will find this set of mournful, biting, and resonant tales united not only by geography but also by Dacey’s deep humanity towards his flawed characters.” Booklist
“A fine debut collection from a storyteller who improves as the stakes get higher.” Kirkus Reviews
“These thirteen stories are linked not just through place and character but also by their pursuit of a warped form of happiness. Together they provide a startling portrait of American life today. A daringly resonant collection with the best endings in the business.” Courtney Maum, author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here without You
“Whether a used-car salesman or past-his-prime coach or lonely mother of a deployed soldier, the characters in Dacey’s collection are ‘living on these images of the past’ looking for something that glimmers just out of reach. A book that brims with unguarded humanity and quiet moments of communion, I couldn’t stop reading it. Dacey is a masterful prose stylist, a vibrant and original new literary voice.” Rae Meadows, author of Mercy Train