Acknowledgments
I AM GRATEFUL TO the editors of the following publications, in which these stories have appeared: “Talent,” © 2000, Alaska Quarterly Review; “Accomplice,” © 2003, The Georgia Review and The Best American Short Stories 2004; “Sandman,” © 2006, Tin House; “Creep,” © 2005, TriQuarterly; “Crossing” (as “The Voyage Over”), © 2005, The Literary Review; “Yurt,” © 2008, The New Yorker.
I am especially thankful for the generous support and encouragement of the MacDowell Colony, Ledig House International Writers’ Residency, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation.
A heartfelt thanks to Stuart Dybek.
A PEN/Faulkner Award finalist + A Los Angeles Times Favorite Book of the Year + A Salon Best Read of the Year + A Newsday Favorite Read of the Year + An Amazon Best Book of the Year + A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year + A Hartford Courant Best Read of the Year + An Arizona Republic Favorite Book of the Year + A Heeb Best Book of the Year + A Story Prize Notable Book of 2008
Praise for Ms. Hempel Chronicles
“A slim, intense delight … [Bynum] infuses her second novel with unlikely magic.”
—Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“A warm-hearted novel-in-stories about a young seventh-grade teacher navigating the final passage to her own adulthood even as she ushers her students through the tricky narrows of adolescence … It is also a testament to how hard—and important—the work of teaching is.”
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor
“Marvelous … A stunning portrait of an unforgettable character at a crossroads.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“[With] its lilting charm … Bynum’s portrayal makes this humanist appealingly human. It’s a pleasure to be in her class.”
—Time
“Bynum has proven herself inimitable, capable of scavenging a universe of love and disappointment from the smallest crumbs of human experience … Enough to make the book worth reading (twice).”
—Annie Wyman, The Rumpus
“Grabbing, cathartic, and seriously funny.”
—Sabrina Jaszi, Heeb
“Utterly winning … A small, gorgeous thing … Wise and whimsical [and] powerful.”
—Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Sun
“Hilarious, poignant, quirky … Irresistible.”
—Curtis Sittenfeld, Salon
“Shimmeringly evocative … Pick it up for the most sensitive, thoughtful teacher you know. Pick it up if you remember seventh grade fondly—or if you don’t. But do pick it up.”
—Charity Vogel, The Buffalo News
“Graceful, utterly engaging.”
—The Tampa Tribune
“Bynum has such keen eyes and ears and such deep and appealing self-knowledge, you feel she could write no less compellingly about an accountant or an administrator. She can move you in one sentence from wit and hilarity to desperation and wrenching loss.”
—Jonathan Franzen
“Brilliant … It’s impossible to walk away from this beautifully written book without feeling nostalgic.”
—DailyCandy
“Bynum creates a wonderful voice here … She is an author to watch.”
—Hartford Courant
“[A] real miracle … Bynum is an inventive writer with talent to spare.”
—The Arizona Republic
“Funny, astute, beautifully written.”
—The New Leader
“Delightful.”
—The Tennessean (Nashville)
“A sure-footed writer of pervasive intelligence.”
—Emily Donaldson, Toronto Star
“Bynum proves she has enduring talent.”
—Bust
“Beatrice Hempel … [is] the teacher you wish you had (or wish that you were): cool but caring, sweet but smart.”
—Nylon
“Gently, deeply affecting … Ms. Hempel’s consciousness is a joy to inhabit.”
—Amy Gerstler, Bookforum
“A complex and memorable character [and an] extraordinary writer.”
—Ken Murray, The Brooklyn Rail
“A masterful conjurer of the off-kilter … Bynum manages to imbue middle school, already an uneasy place, with topsy-turvy wonder.”
—Tess Taylor, The Barnes and Noble Review
“Intricate and absorbing … Bynum writes with great acuity, and the emotional undercurrents in this sharp take on coming-of-age and growing up will move readers in unexpected ways.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Subtle, dazzling … There is so much elliptical richness in the multifaceted character of Ms. Hempel that every chapter in this short, taut novel brings revelation.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Bynum writes with concise, careful phrasing and a clarity that illuminates the depths to be found even in the most quotidian existence.”
—Library Journal
“Unique and engaging … The attention to detail is spectacular.”
—Annie Tully, Booklist
“[Those] who revel in the psychological tension of a subtle character study will be rewarded by moments of touching beauty.”
—Calton Breen, Northwest Asian Weekly
“Wry, poignant, and very funny.”
—Charlotte Bruce Harvey, Brown Alumni Magazine
Also by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum
Likes
Madeleine Is Sleeping
SARAH SHUN-LIEN BYNUM
Ms. Hempel Chronicles
Sarah Shun-lien Bynum is the author of the short-story collection Likes and the novel Madeleine Is Sleeping, a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. Her fiction has appeared in many magazines and anthologies, including The New Yorker, Ploughshares, Tin House, The Best American Short Stories, and The O. Henry Prize Stories. The recipient of a Whiting Award and an NEA Fellowship, she was named one of “20 Under 40” fiction writers by The New Yorker. She lives in Los Angeles. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
Farrar, Straus and Giroux ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Talent
Accomplice
Sandman
Creep
Crossing
Yurt
Satellite
Bump
Acknowledgments
Praise for Ms. Hempel Chronicles
Also by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum
About the Author
Copyright
Picador
120 Broadway, New York 10271
Copyright © 2008 by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum
All rights reserved
Originally published in 2008 by Harcourt, USA
First Picador paperback edition, 2020
Picador Paperback ISBN: 978-1-250-78134-5
Our e-Books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Picador® is a U.S. registered trademark and is used by Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, under license from Pan Books Limited.
For book club information, please visit facebook.com/picadorbookclub or e-mail [email protected].
picadorusa.com • instagram.com/picador
twitter.com/picadorusa • facebook.com/picadorusa
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
eISBN 9780374602161
First eBook edition: 2020
