MISSING KIDNEY & OTHER STORIES

Award-winning author Maxine Rosaler brings wit, heart, and striking originality to literary fiction, offering a poignant exploration of city life and human connection in this timeless short story collection

Set against the vibrant and gritty backdrop of 1970s and 1980s New York City, The Missing Kidney and Other Stories brings to life a kaleidoscope of human experiences with humor, heartbreak, and humanity on every page. This engrossing collection of short stories captures the enchantment in the mundane, exploring how meaning can unexpectedly emerge from everyday moments.

From a girl’s desperate attempt to save the boy she loves from his fixation on his uncle, to a social justice champion rationalizing an imperfect partnership, to a man kneeling by a memorial for his lost love on the busy city sidewalks, Rosaler’s stories spotlight the tangled beauty of human connection and the hidden magic in life’s imperfections.

In this true love letter to NYC, the city’s streets, sounds, and characters come alive, capturing the nostalgic charm of life before the digital age. With sharp, original prose, Rosaler turns the ordinary into the extraordinary, dealing out the fates of a vivid array of complex individuals with unflagging energy, wit and a delight in the details of city life–leaving readers engrossed, reflective, deeply moved, and reminded of what it truly means to be human.

Maxine Rosaler’s novel Queen for a Day, was nominated for The Kirkus Prize. The Jewish Book Council chose it to be one of ten fiction books included in its 2021 list of recommended books. She is a recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fiction Fellowship. Stories of hers have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Tikkun, The Southern Review, Glimmer Train, Witness, Fifth Wednesday, storySouth, Green Mountains Review and other literary magazines and cited in editions of Best American Short Stories and Best American Nonfiction. One was a finalist for the Nelson Algren Awards.