The Dinner Party - Softcover

Joshua Ferris is the bestselling author of three novels, Then We Came to the End, The Unnamed and To Rise Again at a Decent Hour. He has been a finalist for the National Book Award, winner of the Barnes and Noble Discover Award and the PEN/Hemingway Award, short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, winner of the International Dylan Thomas Prize, and was named one of The New Yorker's "20 Under 40" writers in 2010. He lives in New York.

Praise for Joshua Ferris's THE DINNER PARTY:
A New York Times Notable BookWashington Post Notable Fiction NPR's Best Books of 2017 The Guardian Best Books of 2017Esquire Best Books of the Year The Week Best Books of 2017

"A magnificent black carnival of discord and delusion....For some accomplished novelists--and Ferris is one of the best of our day--short stories are mere doodles, warm ups or warm downs, slight variations on themes better addressed at length. Not so for Ferris. Dynamic with speed, yet rich with novelistic density, his stories make The Dinner Party a full-fledged feast."―Will Blythe, New York Times Book Review


"Plenty of novels, memoirs and cultural studies have explored the end of men or the failings of masculinity. But Ferris, a darkly comic writer who feels like the novelist equivalent of the filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, has managed to write a series of stories on the subject that feels fresh. His male characters mess up, in small and spectacular fashion, but their misdeeds often prompt our sympathy, thanks to Ferris's insightful narration."―Ian Shapira, The Washington Post


"Ferris finesses the line between tragedy and comedy, and his sly wit often surfaces in sarcastic, offbeat ways...The Dinner Party provides a fine showcase for his work."―Heller McAlpin, NPR.org

"Ferris is an incisive observer, and his descriptions of even the most quotidian situations are elegant and fresh."
―Eliot Schrefer, USA Today


"Everything comes mordantly alive in the priceless imagination of Ferris....His perverse short narratives do not disappoint."―Janet Maslin, New York Times, Books to Breeze Through This Summer


"Observational and piercing, Ferris's short stories expose how fraught and emotionally explosive the search for connection with other human beings can be."―Angela Ledgerwood, Esquire, 20 Best Books of 2017 (so far)


"The Dinner Party is a collection of stories about quiet, domestic chaos... I love it. The titular story finds a couple awaiting the arrival of dinner guests who never materialize.... equal parts Cheever and Carver....a strong set of stories about infidelity, jealousy, and neurotic insecurity."―Kevin Nguyen, GQ, Best Books You'll Read In May


"This collection hits the sweet spot between character realism and existentially wry musings on modern life... In the past, Mr. Ferris has drawn favorable comparisons with Jonathan Franzen, but this collection shows Mr. Ferris as the funnier of the two. None of Mr. Franzen's novels has been as light or enjoyable to read."
―Nathan Pensky, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette