Reviews

“Hallman reconfigures our everyday errors and flaws into deeply affecting fiction…[he] is wonderfully bright.” New York Times Sunday Book Review

“Hallman cuts loose from the tether of the known world altogether in favor of a brainy surrealism. Like Kafka before him, he’s on the make for the sturdy truths in an era of spiritual dislocation.” The Los Angeles Times

“A delightful collection of stories…funny, unsettling.” The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Intriguing and genuinely human, Hallman’s stories will keep many a reader glued to the book, making ‘The Hospital for Bad Poets’ a top pick for any lover of short fiction.” Midwest Book Review

“Perhaps my favorite of the current group, also published by Milkweed, is J.C. Hallman’s hilarious fiction debut, ‘The Hospital for Bad Poets’…Hallman has a deft touch in an increasingly heavy-handed world. ‘The Hospital for Bad Poets’ deserves a large and enthusiastic readership.” The Denver Post

“Hallman’s work seems to take up the simultaneously funny and disheartening themes of the best [of] George Saunders…This is one incredible book.” Gently Read Literature

“The way [Hallman] wrestles directly with ideas reminds us of authors like Kafka or Gogol…But even when he’s more interested in the concepts than the people, he’s having enough fun for all of us.” Time Out Chicago

“Hallman’s nonfiction books tilt toward the weird, and his erudition, philosophical frame of mind, and frank fascination with our habits of obsession and delusion shape his conceptually droll, psychologically incisive, and satirical short stories.” Booklist

“Hallman’s clever debut collection invites the reader into ordinary homes and heads before dropping sly twists of the surreal to examine contemporary culture. His collection is smart and hip, a safer Sam Lipsyte crossed with early George Saunders.” Publishers Weekly

“Intriguing and genuinely human, Hallman’s stories will keep many a reader glued to the book, making ‘The Hospital for Bad Poets’ a top pick for any lover of short fiction.” Internet Bookwatch

“These manikin, golem, and robot-like characters—who perform a trapeze act between emotional torpor and moral turpitude—aggregate into a thematic framework for Hallman’s collection. The result is a very novel-like reading experience…” Verb/Image