The Pelican Child
2025 short story collection by Joy Williams
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The Pelican Child is a 2025 short story collection by Joy Williams. It received positive reception from critics upon release.
First edition cover | |
| Author | Joy Williams |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Publication date | November 18, 2025 |
| Pages | 176 |
| ISBN | 9780525657583 |
Overview
The collection consists of twelve short stories previously published by Joy Williams in different journals. The oldest story was published in 2010.[1]
Development history
Publication history
The Pelican Child was published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf on November 18, 2025.[2]
Reception
The Pelican Child received positive reception from critics upon release. Alta published a positive review that described the collection as expanding on similar themes from Williams' previous work.[3] The Los Angeles Review of Books described the stories as "bleaker than ever" in a review that positively compared her writing to that of Bret Easton Ellis and Carson McCullers.[4] The New York Times qualified its review, describing the stories as "uneven" and noting the presence of talking dogs in several of the stories.[5]
The Washington Post, meanwhile, described the collection as Williams' "best book since The Quick and The Dead" and complimented her character descriptions.[1] Kirkus Reviews was laudatory, praising Williams' prose and describing the collection as "yet more evidence that Williams should be next in line for the Nobel Prize in Literature."[2] Publishers Weekly wrote a starred review that complimented Williams' dialogue and the stories for their consistent theme of mortality.[6] Booklist was similarly positive.[7]
The collection was longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award.[1]