Maxine Rosaler’s New Story Collection Captures Grit, Humor, and Heartbreak in Late 20th-Century NYC

Critically acclaimed author Maxine Rosaler unveils a compelling new story collection steeped in the humanity and absurdity of New York City life

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, July 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Lauded by Kirkus Reviews as “the best short story writer you never heard of,” Maxine Rosaler vividly resurrects the gritty, vibrant New York City of the late twentieth century in her compelling new collection, The Missing Kidney and Other Stories. Through fourteen beautifully crafted stories, Rosaler explores themes of love, loss, ambition, delusion, and the enduring complexities of human connection.

With her trademark blend of dark humor, nuanced characterization, and sharp insight, Rosaler introduces readers to a diverse array of unforgettable figures. Among them are a Holocaust survivor running a clothing store on Orchard Street, ambitious young New Yorkers impatiently awaiting older neighbors’ passing to secure their apartments, and a man grieving publicly on a Manhattan sidewalk amid a crowd of curious strangers. Through these characters, Rosaler offers a richly textured exploration of optimism, despair, and everything in between.

The collection is already generating significant buzz. Oprah’s Daily selected The Missing Kidney and Other Stories as one of its “Best Summer Reads of 2025,” praising Rosaler’s singular narrative voice: “There’s really no better way to convey Rosaler’s magic than to quote her.” Meanwhile, The New York Times Book Review calls the collection “both a kaleidoscopic period piece and a timeless exploration of the complexity of human relationships.”
Rosaler’s previous book, Queen for a Day (2018), received widespread critical acclaim. With this latest collection, Rosaler solidifies her literary reputation, drawing favorable comparisons to esteemed writers such as Lorrie Moore, Lucia Berlin, and Grace Paley. Her fiction and essays have appeared in Best American Essays and Best American Short Stories, as well as in numerous respected literary journals.

Maxine Rosaler lives and writes in New York City, which continues to provide inspiration through its authentic and layered humanity.
The Missing Kidney and Other Stories is available now nationwide in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats.

Order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Kidney-Other-Stories/dp/1953002552

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About Maxine Rosaler: Maxine Rosaler is a New York-based fiction writer known for her emotionally honest, darkly
comic short stories. Raised on Long Island and a longtime resident of New York City, she began writing stories amid the gritty landscape of the city’s 1970s, drawing inspiration from its contradictions and characters. Her breakout book, Queen for a Day (2018, Delphinium)—a novel-in-stories—chronicles the challenges of raising a child on the autism spectrum. The book received critical praise for its unflinching portrayal of “motherhood in its most unrelenting form” (Kirkus, starred review). In 2025, she released The Missing Kidney and Other Stories, further cementing her reputation for balancing poignancy with a satirical edge. Rosaler’s stories have been cited in Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays and appeared in The Southern Review, Witness, Prairie Schooner, Glimmer Train, and other literary journals. She is a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow and continues to write fiction that explores the humor, absurdity, heartbreak, and raw humanity of everyday life.

Aria Deshe
ADPR Inc.
+ 19175582002
aria@adpr.co

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