The Fate of Others: Stories
A new collection of short stories examining the extraordinary shades of ordinary life, from the prize-winning fiction writer Richard Bausch (“A master of the short story" -The New York Times Book Review)

In these twelve new stories, Richard Bausch explores the passions of men and women facing unex­pected circumstances and the complications of modern life and love. In the novella “Donnaiolo,” for instance, the parents of a young divorcée who has returned from Italy and a failed marriage must deal with the completely different, and unappealing, person she has become. In “Isolation,” a happily married woman who has con­ceived an unexpected passion for another man learns, in lockdown during the pandemic, that this man-into whose life Bausch also gives us a window-has become ill with Covid. In a second novella, “Broken House,” an elderly Catholic man recalls his part in the destruction of an old farmhouse by altar boys who believed a monk had given them permission to destroy it-while also portraying his lifelong fascination with one of the boys, a gifted artist who has carried a secret for decades about the church they both wanted to serve as priests. And in still another story, “The Widow's Tale,” a woman whose recently killed husband repeatedly visits her younger sister in dreams attends a séance.

Throughout The Fate of Others, Bausch once again exposes the virtues and flaws of his characters, remind­ing us, as the best stories do, of ourselves and people we know, and the lives we lead.
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The Fate of Others: Stories
A new collection of short stories examining the extraordinary shades of ordinary life, from the prize-winning fiction writer Richard Bausch (“A master of the short story" -The New York Times Book Review)

In these twelve new stories, Richard Bausch explores the passions of men and women facing unex­pected circumstances and the complications of modern life and love. In the novella “Donnaiolo,” for instance, the parents of a young divorcée who has returned from Italy and a failed marriage must deal with the completely different, and unappealing, person she has become. In “Isolation,” a happily married woman who has con­ceived an unexpected passion for another man learns, in lockdown during the pandemic, that this man-into whose life Bausch also gives us a window-has become ill with Covid. In a second novella, “Broken House,” an elderly Catholic man recalls his part in the destruction of an old farmhouse by altar boys who believed a monk had given them permission to destroy it-while also portraying his lifelong fascination with one of the boys, a gifted artist who has carried a secret for decades about the church they both wanted to serve as priests. And in still another story, “The Widow's Tale,” a woman whose recently killed husband repeatedly visits her younger sister in dreams attends a séance.

Throughout The Fate of Others, Bausch once again exposes the virtues and flaws of his characters, remind­ing us, as the best stories do, of ourselves and people we know, and the lives we lead.
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The Fate of Others: Stories

The Fate of Others: Stories

by Richard Bausch

Narrated by Kirsten Potter, Fred Sanders, Lee Osorio

Unabridged — 13 hours, 10 minutes

The Fate of Others: Stories

The Fate of Others: Stories

by Richard Bausch

Narrated by Kirsten Potter, Fred Sanders, Lee Osorio

Unabridged — 13 hours, 10 minutes

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Overview

A new collection of short stories examining the extraordinary shades of ordinary life, from the prize-winning fiction writer Richard Bausch (“A master of the short story" -The New York Times Book Review)

In these twelve new stories, Richard Bausch explores the passions of men and women facing unex­pected circumstances and the complications of modern life and love. In the novella “Donnaiolo,” for instance, the parents of a young divorcée who has returned from Italy and a failed marriage must deal with the completely different, and unappealing, person she has become. In “Isolation,” a happily married woman who has con­ceived an unexpected passion for another man learns, in lockdown during the pandemic, that this man-into whose life Bausch also gives us a window-has become ill with Covid. In a second novella, “Broken House,” an elderly Catholic man recalls his part in the destruction of an old farmhouse by altar boys who believed a monk had given them permission to destroy it-while also portraying his lifelong fascination with one of the boys, a gifted artist who has carried a secret for decades about the church they both wanted to serve as priests. And in still another story, “The Widow's Tale,” a woman whose recently killed husband repeatedly visits her younger sister in dreams attends a séance.

Throughout The Fate of Others, Bausch once again exposes the virtues and flaws of his characters, remind­ing us, as the best stories do, of ourselves and people we know, and the lives we lead.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Bausch exhibits a mastery of cringe-inducing and sometimes heartbreaking miscommunication, as his characters talk to each other at cross-purposes. These insightful stories pack a punch."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Richly imagined, deeply felt, and filled with the sort of context that distinguishes [The Fate of Others] from minimalism. . . . Classic craftsmanship meets contemporary shell-shock." Kirkus (starred review)

"Bausch's latest collection showcases the revered writer still at the sharpest of his craft after a long career."Alta

"The Fate of Others is very much about what we have allowed our worlds to become by talking at others instead of to them. Such is the 'fate' of those caught in the crosshairs of life in this striking and prescient collection from Richard Bausch." The Anniston Star

"[The Fate of Others] delivers the piecing character studies and musical prose that readers have come to expect. . . . The characters’ emotions are palpable and visceral. Throughout this strong collection, Bausch sensitively portrays the human condition in all its richly diverse manifestations." —Booklist

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2025-03-08
A strong collection by a veteran master of the short story.

Though Bausch has become a prolific novelist, his story collections are more than publishing stopgaps between longer works. Particularly this one, filled with fiction that is richly imagined, deeply felt, and filled with the sort of context that distinguishes it from minimalism. The “fate” of the title seems to be the one that awaits us all, as death—or the risk or fear of it—permeates these stories. So does literature, and there are many writers featured here—including Ernest Hemingway, in the opening “In That Time”—along with lovers of fiction and creative artists in other fields. Yet art doesn’t really help Bausch’s characters come to terms with the inevitable, or with the unexpected, the sort of out-of-the-blue crises around which so many of these stories pivot. Covid-19, politics, and religion serve to complicate some of the plots, but mainly the tales seem to focus on “How did we get here?" and “Where do we go from here?” In “Isolation,” a woman is quarantined with the husband she still loves, separated from the lover with whom she’d never intended to become involved. In “Forensics,” a “murder scene involving hoarders in a decaying old house” shows a detective the depths of depression into which he’s sunk. In the novella-length “Broken House” that closes the volume, another house in disrepair presents a lasting memory and metaphor for the narrator, a retired history professor who once contemplated becoming a priest but has since found his faith shaken. “A Memory, and Sorrow (An Interval)” reads like a rare foray into autofiction, but every one of these stories serves to render lives fully experienced.

Classic craftsmanship meets contemporary shell-shock.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940190999433
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication date: 05/20/2025
Edition description: Unabridged
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