"Brawler: Stories" | Reviewed by William Winkler

A woman whose family is lost in a tsunami “adopts” a homeless young girl and raises her as a boy.

A college-bound young woman commits her special needs older brother to a state institution after the death of their mother.

A young man suffers a serious allergic reaction after his girlfriend’s younger sister switches sandwiches at a picnic.

These, and other of the six stories in Lauren Groff’s latest short story collection, “Brawler,” involve death or other tragic outcomes lurking in the background.

The longest of the stories, novella length, details fifteen years in the life of the grandson of a noted Boston banking family who cannot find his place in the family business, who crafts a new course for himself, and who ultimately succumbs to demons of his own devising.

Lauren Groff holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Wisconsin. She and her husband are the proprietors of an independent bookstore in Gainesville, Florida. She is the author of five novels. “Brawler” is her third collection of stories.

Groff’s literary style is lyrical but not florid. Her stories move at a measured pace with little digression, although she does give her characters room for introspection.

Readers who have enjoyed her previous work will find this book equally attractive. Those who have not read any of her earlier publications will find “Brawler” to be a strong introduction to her craft.

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