Cleanness by Garth Greenwell

This collection of stories that revolve around a teacher’s experience in Bulgaria before the Soviet Union imploded upon itself. It is a country the author knows from his own stint as a teacher at the American College of Sofia, and the intimacy in each story feels like something that is more memoir than it is fiction--there is little to no character development and more of a disgorging of memories and experiences that are intensely recalled and easily relived. The stories are loosely linked to each other through both settings and themes and they are incredibly well written, a kind of poetry almost that circles the themes of lust, longing, and regret. While the writing is exquisite--it is also evocative with emotions that are both raw and real, and at times it is almost too intense for me. I felt like I was in a room that I didn't want to be in, but that I couldn't quite tear myself away from. The sex is very explicit and if that is appealing, then this is the best of the best, but if not, it sucks all the rest of the air out of the book.