At the end of the day, it's about the reader's attachment to and belief in the magical elements that make or break magical realism.

Kelly Link's prose is conveyed in details so startling and fine that you work up a sweat just waiting for the next sentence to land. This is why we read, crave, need, can't live without short stories.

death should be celebrated...when you put something in the ground you always know where it is

In the end, all you want is someone to long for you when it comes time to put you in the ground.

I do no writing while I'm in Belgrade visiting my grandma.

When I hit a block, regardless of what I am writing, what the subject matter is, or what's going on in the plot, I go back and I read Pablo Neruda's poetry. I don't actually speak Spanish, so I read it translation. But I always go back to Neruda. I don't know why, but it calms me, calms my brain.

My grandfather and I were very close.