Steven Millhauser is widely known for his Pulitzer Prize winning novel Martin Dressler. His short story, Eisenheim the Illusionist, was made into the film starring Edward Norton. Millhauser’s new book is a collection of stories entitled Dangerous Laughter. Millhauser’s odd and enthralling stories don’t end the way you think they will. It’s broken up into three sections: “Vanishing Acts” are dream-like stories where characters die or disappear; “Historical Heretics” are newly imagined, alternate versions of history, similar to the works of Michael Chabon or Phillip Roth; and “Impossible Architectures” are stories about futuristic societies and technology. The opening short story is a Tom and Jerry-like cartoon that is given an interesting amount of depth. A great book to add to your collection.
