In Raised in Captivity, beloved essayist Chuck Klosterman offers a collection of stories that may not be true but feel genuine all the same. As the book's playful subtitle--"fictional nonfiction"--suggests, these short works are at once utterly absurd and eerily familiar. Whether it's two airplane passengers discussing their obligation to disclose the presence of a wild puma in the lavatory, or an assassin who requires four years to kill his targets, Klosterman's characters are arguably at their best when they're serving as proxies for the author himself.
Like the essays in his numerous bestselling collections, many of the stories here serve as meta-commentary on elements of culture and the collective psyche. Klosterman's acclaim as one of the best pop culture critics working today is largely based on his ability to wrest profound meaning from the seemingly mundane, be it a 1988 high school basketball game that occurred in North Dakota or the intrinsic value of a Guns 'N Roses cover band. While he does have two novels to his name, Raised in Captivity is Klosterman's first official foray into short fiction (clever subtitles aside).
In a sense, these aren't stories where anything happens per se, but rather a series of fictional frameworks through which Klosterman is able to examine the madness and minutiae of everyday lives. He isn't prone to definitive conclusions, but Klosterman thrives within the auspices of the unknown, making this collection a worthy addition to his peculiar and impressive legacy. --Zack Ruskin, freelance reviewer