Tenth of December, George Saunders, 2013

Tenth of December Review

About

Published in 2013, George Saunders’s Tenth of December is a collection of short stories that walks the line between absurdity and tenderness. Saunders writes about ordinary people in extraordinary moral situations, using humor to reach heartbreak. His America is surreal, bureaucratic, and strangely hopeful—a place where decency flickers even in collapse. The collection won the Folio Prize and confirmed Saunders as one of the finest short-story writers of his generation.

Overview

The stories span themes of class, compassion, and the absurd logic of modern life. In “Escape from Spiderhead,” prisoners are used in experiments that manipulate emotion. In “Victory Lap,” a timid boy confronts violence and conscience. “The Semplica-Girl Diaries” satirizes consumerism and empathy in a world where humans are luxury lawn ornaments. The title story, “Tenth of December,” closes the book with quiet grace—an act of kindness bridging two lives at opposite ends of despair.

Summary

(light spoilers) Across the collection, Saunders balances dark satire with radical empathy. His characters—test subjects, suburban dads, overworked clerks—struggle to remain good in systems built to erase goodness. The moral stakes often feel cosmic even when the settings are mundane. “Escape from Spiderhead” reveals the horror of a society that treats love as chemistry; “Home” and “Puppy” explore family love stretched to breaking. In the final story, a suicidal man encounters a child lost in the snow, and their fragile meeting becomes an argument for hope itself. Saunders leaves us not with answers but with the possibility of grace in ordinary gestures.

Key Themes / Main Ideas

• Empathy — kindness as rebellion against apathy.
• Morality under capitalism — decency as luxury good.
• Satire and sincerity — humor that heals instead of mocks.
• Redemption — goodness found at the edge of ruin.
• Language — fragmented, funny, and heartbreakingly human.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Strengths — Inventive voice, emotional precision, and an uncanny mix of absurd and humane.
• Strengths — Every story leaves an afterglow of compassion.
• Weaknesses — The experimental style may disorient readers expecting realism.
• Weaknesses — Some stories end abruptly, prioritizing resonance over resolution.

Reviewed with focus on themes, audience, and takeaways — George Saunders