“Borges meets Saunders in Tenhoff's debut collection of 10 cerebral stories that tilt toward fabulist and unfold in places real and invented, familiar and far-flung, contemporary and futuristic. . . . [T]hese stories soar and his insights deliver a visceral punch. Fantastic (and fantastical) work from a writer who appreciates that borders of all kinds are often just a fiction.”
– Kirkus Reviews
“The Involuntary Sojourner imagines the borders society has imposed upon itself and the struggles to overcome them: a regional boundary literally dividing a woman’s house in two, a man longing for interaction with the father of the child he accidentally killed, a lonely dentist drawn to a new immigrant in spite of social taboo and mammoth language and cultural barriers, a self-important and respected showman in search of a successor astonished to find artistic camaraderie in an indigent disabled street performer. Tenhoff’s spare, elegant prose and authentic immersions into unique communities (magicians, a family puppetry dynasty) catapult the reader into extraordinary worlds while maintaining in tender expression the universal desire for human connection.”
– Kia Corthron, author of The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter
“The Involuntary Sojourner is a collection of the most empathic fiction. Tenhoff’s stories span countries, societies, and stages of life, and in so doing, they give narrative and character to the slow, intricate entangling that we call living. Few authors could gather Japanese magicians, children of dystopic civilizations, callous daughters, and guilt-ridden American men into one short story collection, but Tenhoff’s deftly woven work does so triumphantly. This collection is a tapestry of the human heart in all its complexity.”
– Lucie Shelly, former senior editor of Electric Literature's Recommended Reading
“S. P. Tenhoff possesses the enviable talent of blending complex narratives with effortless honesty. Intricate, thrilling, utterly absorbing fiction.”
– R. M. Cooper, founder and managing editor of Sequestrum
“In ten short stories that stand out for their originality and range from empathetic portraits to satire, Tenhoff immerses the reader in a range of settings in Japan, the U.S., and elsewhere.”
– Matt Witt, World Wide Work
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