The Great Frustration by Seth Fried

Seth Fried's short story collection, The Great Frustration, is funny, well-written and extremely difficult to put down.  With this collection, Fried displays his imagination and skill.

In the first story, “Loeka Discovered,” a group of scientists discover a prehistoric man, whose release from a deep freeze unfreezes emotions among the scientists.  As the narrative of the prehistoric man's life changes based on further discoveries, the scientists' moods swing wildly, creating entertaining results.  If you want to read this story on the web and get a flavor of Fried's writing, click here.   In the second story, my favorite, “Frost Mountain Picnic Massacre,” a town wonders aloud why everyone attends an annual picnic that year after year ends with a massacre.  In a third story, "Life in the Harem," an unattractive male clerk shares his tale of living in a sultan's harem.  (A preview clip for this story is below).

Each story is creative, credible and engaging.  This book (under 200 pages) is difficult to put down and will make you laugh out loud.

Fried has been published in several prominent literary journals (McSweeney's, Tin House etc.) and is the selection this month for the online book club, http://www.andrewsbookclub.com/.  You can get a taste of Fried's humor on his blog http://sethfried.blogspot.com/.

Read The Great Frustration, laugh and enjoy.

"Interview" with Seth Fried:

Preview for one of the short stories, "Life in the Harem":