What readers think of Brawler, plus links to write your own review.

Lauren Groff is one of my favorite authors of all time. Her 2015 novel "Fates and Furies" is still on my top 10 list of favorite books, and since I added it in 2016, I have read more than 1,000 books that could have surpassed it, but none did.

And this collection of nine short stories, despite the somewhat odd title and cover design, is spectacular. Each story is a portrayal of good and evil—often in the same person. Some of the stories made me smile, many of them gave me the shivers, and all of them were a joy to read. Groff has a special kind of insight into the human condition and how we treat each other—for better or worse.

The stories cover the gamut from time (the 1950s to the present day), character ages (teens to seniors), and locations (New England to Florida to California to New York,)

My favorites (and it was difficult to choose!):
• "What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?": Chip is a young boy when the story opens and a grown man at the end. He is part of a large, wealthy, and prestigious New England family. Their expectations for him are quite high, but he is largely ignored by everyone except his older sister. With no one paying particular attention to him, he descends into partying and booze, but always manages the gentleman's C. Eventually, it catches up with him, and his stint in "rehab" is to be shipped off to the desolate family manse in the wilds of New Hampshire—all alone.

• "Birdie": Three high school friends who have long since lost touch with each other, gather for a weekend at the hospital bedside of Birdie, the fourth member of the group. Birdie is dying of cancer. They all have secrets and regrets, but the focus of this story is on Nichole, who makes a stunning confession of something that happened one summer long ago.

• "The Wind": This is a heartbreaking and somewhat terrifying story of a mother and her three children trying to escape the husband/father, employed as a police officer, who is abusing them. It's a testament to mother love.

• "To Sunland": After their parents have both died, Joanie determines to take her mentally-challenged brother, Buddy, to an institution in Florida before she leaves for college in Maine. This is the story of their bus trip south.

With vivid characters, sharp plot points, and writing that simply sings, this is a captivating and remarkable collection of short stories, and exactly what I would have expected from the inimitable Lauren Groff.