Independent Publisher Book Award
2015 · Short Fiction · Silver Medal Winner
About This Book
Winner of the New American Fiction Prize and the Lascaux Book Prize
"The seven stories in Unaccompanied Minors crackle with edgy intelligence and dark humor and heart. Alden Jones writes with extraordinary insight about the hungers that drive us into the darkest corners of the self, in voices that are electric and unforgettable. From the first page to the last, Unaccompanied Minors is nothing short of stellar." ―Laura van den Berg
Taut and fearless, mixing innocence with daring honesty, the stories in Unaccompanied Minors overturn our understanding of what it means to be young. A man on a mission to "save" people finds himself drawn to a brothel; two young women create mayhem in a homeless shelter; a group of Evangelical American teenagers descends on a quiet Costa Rican town; a girl who grows scales no doctor can remedy finds solace in a friendship with a classmate who doesn't eat. From the wilds of Tennessee to Costa Rica's gritty capitol city and suburban America, Alden Jones explores the consequences of acting in a world that rarely provides the accompaniment we expect.
"Unaccompanied Minors is sad and thrilling and most of all true. Alden Jones knows how to make a story sing." ―Kyle Minor, 2013 New American Fiction Prize Final Judge
"The seven stories in Unaccompanied Minors crackle with edgy intelligence and dark humor and heart. Alden Jones writes with extraordinary insight about the hungers that drive us into the darkest corners of the self, in voices that are electric and unforgettable. From the first page to the last, Unaccompanied Minors is nothing short of stellar." ―Laura van den Berg
Taut and fearless, mixing innocence with daring honesty, the stories in Unaccompanied Minors overturn our understanding of what it means to be young. A man on a mission to "save" people finds himself drawn to a brothel; two young women create mayhem in a homeless shelter; a group of Evangelical American teenagers descends on a quiet Costa Rican town; a girl who grows scales no doctor can remedy finds solace in a friendship with a classmate who doesn't eat. From the wilds of Tennessee to Costa Rica's gritty capitol city and suburban America, Alden Jones explores the consequences of acting in a world that rarely provides the accompaniment we expect.
"Unaccompanied Minors is sad and thrilling and most of all true. Alden Jones knows how to make a story sing." ―Kyle Minor, 2013 New American Fiction Prize Final Judge
Awards
Lambda Literary Award
2015 · Debut Fiction · Finalist
Triangle Award
2015 · Debut Fiction · Finalist
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