The Coast of Chicago
Stuart Dybek's story collection captures the immigrant and working-class neighborhoods of Chicago where he grew up, moving between gritty realism and something closer to dream. The longer stories sit beside short, prose-poem flashes, and together they build a portrait of a city of streetcars, churches, alleys, and corner shops, seen through the eyes of kids and young men trying to make sense of it. The collection includes Hot Ice, the story George Saunders has singled out as one he believes will last. Dybek writes with a musical ear and a deep feeling for place, turning ordinary moments into something close to memory itself.
What you might want to know about The Coast of Chicago
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A collection of short stories set in the working-class neighborhoods of Chicago's South and Southwest sides, blending realism with dream and memory.
Saunders has named Dybek's story Hot Ice, from this collection, among the American short stories he thinks will stand the test of time.
The Coast of Chicago was written by Stuart Dybek, published in 1990 by Picador.
The Coast of Chicago is 208 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Coast of Chicago takes most readers 3 to 5 hours to finish.
The Coast of Chicago is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
