Valery the Great

Fiction. VALERY THE GREAT is a crackling, electric collection of dark humor that follows the bizarre and beautiful lives of its protagonists. Sometimes sweet and gentle, sometimes sharply sarcastic, the unique narrative voices in this collection are always powerfully touching. Throughout VALERY THE GREAT we find characters who need to escape their lives and, in the attempt, find alternate ways of living. They float outside of the harsh, unromantic everyday existence and into an alternate reality that allows them dreams of solace and fulfilled potential. McCluskey expertly mixes the dramatic with the deadpan to create a very readable and exciting collection, filled with characters who are connected by their longing to be heard.