Excerpt from Bark by Lorrie Moore, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"It's good you and Maria have stayed friends," I said to Ian. Ian's father, who had one of those embarrassing father-in-law crushes on his son's departing wife, was not taking it so well. One could see him misty-eyed, treading the edge of the property with some iced gin, keeping his eye out for Maria, waiting for her to come out of the house, waiting for an opening, when she might be free of others, so he could rush up and embrace her.

"Yes." Ian smiled. Ian sighed. And for a fleeting moment everything felt completely fucked up.

Excerpted from Bark by Lorrie Moore. Copyright © 2014 by Lorrie Moore. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.