The gnarly enigma of sustained love, the nightmares of loss or betrayalthese are the problems examined thematically in Housebroken, instantly pulling us into the complexities of intimacyintimacy which paradoxically repels and attracts. In richly detailed settings ranging from Aegean islands to Australian beaches, these stories deal with conflicted characters, many of whom see themselves as disconnected outsiders, emotionally landlocked or alienated like Molly, a young American expatriatein her heart shes Spanishbut where and what is home? Or the lovesick New England professor out of his depth in a seedy Southern steel town. Others flee danger from within. A Victorian scholar facing unnamed horrors coming after him From Below. Or Roberto, the poetry-quoting drug dealer never able to outrun his sexual obsession. A patriarch whos escaped the Nazis but not his punitive conscience. Life-lessons are learned & unlearned as these lovers and loners weave between hope and disenchantment, isolation and communion. Ultimately, after groping through confusing rituals, contradictory ground rules, each arrives at a revelation which illuminates (if not resolves) the passionate connections & disconnects all of us encounter in our lifelong pilgrimage of the heart.

In a striking debut, three piercing, powerful novellas that unveil the hazards of love and desire. The men, women, and even animals in this enthralling collection live at the mercy of their hearts. Young and old, on two legs or four, they grope for love and tenderness, knowing that all connection is fraught with danger and all relationship random and evanescent. Yet the heart wants what it wants. The title novella, a wrenching account of the end of love, traces a gentle dog's transformation into a vicious beast as the couple who owns him breaks apart. In "The Happiness Game," the tenuous bonds between husband and wife are undermined by black crows and weak hearts, while "Matti" presents a chorus of voices -- doctors, nurses, jilted wife, dying husband -- that recounts an old man's passion for his lover, a fifteen-year-old Lolita. Wise and deft, tart yet tender, written in supple, beautifully inflected prose, Yael Hedaya's Housebroken navigates the moments of decision, betrayal, longing, and jealousy that torment the souls of wounded lovers.

“If Laurie Notaro’s books don’t inspire pants-wetting fits of laughter, then please consult your physician, because, clearly, your funny bone is broken.”—Jen Lancaster, author of I Regret Nothing #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurie Notaro isn’t exactly a domestic goddess—unless that means she fully embraces her genetic hoarding predisposition, sneaks peeks at her husband’s daily journal, or has made a list of the people she wants on her Apocalypse Survival team (her husband’s not on it). Notaro chronicles her chronic misfortune in the domestic arts, including cooking, cleaning, and putting on Spanx while sweaty (which should technically qualify as an Olympic sport). Housebroken is a rollicking new collection of essays showcasing her irreverent wit and inability to feel shame. From defying nature in the quest to make her own Twinkies, to begging her new neighbors not to become urban livestock keepers, to teaching her eight-year-old nephew about hoboes, Notaro recounts her best efforts—and hilarious failures—in keeping a household inches away from being condemned. After all, home wasn’t built in a day. Praise for Laurie Notaro “Notaro is a scream, the freak-magnet of a girlfriend you can’t wait to meet for a drink to hear her latest story.”—The Plain Dealer “Hilarious, fabulously improper, and completely relatable, Notaro is the queen of funny.”—Celia Rivenbark, author of Rude Bitches Make Me Tired “Notaro is direct and self-deprecating, and her disastrous attempts to sew a dress and make jerky treats for her dog are relatable and funny.”—Library Journal

Comic strip about an African American family and their dog.

Housebroken charts the evolution of one man from unregenerate cad to stay-at-home dad. And along the way David Eddie provides lots of useful tips for other men who have ended up treading the domestic path: basic but puzzling things like how to cook, how to stay faithful to your wife and how to bend your gender without losing your machismo. Above all, Housebroken is a story of the great adventures it is possible to have within a three-block radius of your house, from one of the frankest, freshest and wittiest voices to come along in years.

“If Laurie Notaro’s books don’t inspire pants-wetting fits of laughter, then please consult your physician, because, clearly, your funny bone is broken.”—Jen Lancaster, author of I Regret Nothing #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurie Notaro isn’t exactly a domestic goddess—unless that means she fully embraces her genetic hoarding predisposition, sneaks peeks at her husband’s daily journal, or has made a list of the people she wants on her Apocalypse Survival team (her husband’s not on it). Notaro chronicles her chronic misfortune in the domestic arts, including cooking, cleaning, and putting on Spanx while sweaty (which should technically qualify as an Olympic sport). Housebroken is a rollicking new collection of essays showcasing her irreverent wit and inability to feel shame. From defying nature in the quest to make her own Twinkies, to begging her new neighbors not to become urban livestock keepers, to teaching her eight-year-old nephew about hoboes, Notaro recounts her best efforts—and hilarious failures—in keeping a household inches away from being condemned. After all, home wasn’t built in a day. Praise for Laurie Notaro “Notaro is a scream, the freak-magnet of a girlfriend you can’t wait to meet for a drink to hear her latest story.”—The Plain Dealer “Hilarious, fabulously improper, and completely relatable, Notaro is the queen of funny.”—Celia Rivenbark, author of Rude Bitches Make Me Tired “Notaro is direct and self-deprecating, and her disastrous attempts to sew a dress and make jerky treats for her dog are relatable and funny.”—Library Journal

"Housebroken" charts the evolution of one man from unregenerate cad to stay-at-home dad. And along the way David Eddie provides lots of useful tips for other men who have ended up treading the domestic path: basic but puzzling things like how to cook, how to stay faithful to your wife and how to bend your gender without losing your machismo. Above all, "Housebroken" is a story of the great adventures it is possible to have within a three-block radius of your house, from one of the frankest, freshest and wittiest voices to come along in years.