Reviews of Daniel Scott

“A psychologically complex compendium of crisply rendered sad sacks, of curdled psyches ... irresistible appeal.” —Bay Area Reporter

“Remarkable storytelling ... Scott kicks the doors open on his subjects’ lives and lets us burst into their world ... Scott peels back their defenses and shows us their hearts, which like all of us are simply looking for love.” —North Shore News

“Scott’s writing is raw. He strips away the veneer of living and shows us life with all of its bruises and beatings. His language is pared down to the essentials and he lets the poetry exist in the silence. The mark of each story is human longing.” —Memphis Flyer

“[Scott’s stories are] peopled by men and women with the kind of good intentions bound to get them in trouble . . . buoyed by sharp, insightful dialogue and clever storytelling . . . [the stories show] skill in capturing human interaction in disturbing and awkward circumstances.” —Publishers Weekly

“Scott’s stories are eerily engaging. They veer into David Sedaris territory with the pathos played for poignancy, not laughs. Or perhaps the realm of Patricia Highsmith’s caustic existentialism, with a bit more levity. These are characters we feel sorry for even as we see them embody our own worst fears of falling down . . . a carnival of lost souls that’s well worth attending.” —Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco)

“With crisp, sober prose, Scott insists on a character’s emotional lucidity. For his intimate understanding of human ‘brokenness,’ Scott should be prized by readers . . . His characters represent an impressive range of voice.” —Lambda Book Report

“With spare sentences, Scott illustrates the disconnections between husbands and wives, siblings, parents and children, and lovers. He cuts through pretense to his characters’ real feelings.” —Des Moines Sunday Register