''Copy Cats'', a short-story collection by

David Crouse David Crouse (born 1971 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a short story writer and teacher. Crouse's work explores issues of identity and alienation, and his stories are populated with characters living on the fringes of American society. The Flanne ...

, was awarded the

Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction The Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction is an annual prize awarded by the University of Georgia Press named in honor of the American short story writer and novelist Flannery O'Connor. Established in 1983 to encourage young writers by bringi ...

in 2005. ''Copy Cats'' was subsequently nominated for the

Pen-Faulkner Award The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living American citizens. The winner receives US$15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US$5000. Fi ...

in 2006. ''Copy Cats'' consists of seven short stories and one extended novella, and takes as its themes issues of identity and alienation. The story "Kopy Kats" is about a world of false images and doubles, as its protagonist—a man who works in a hectic copy shop—seeks authenticity in his life and finds only more and more imitations. "Retreat" deals with the intersection of mental illness and art, as two characters attend an art camp for people with nervous disorders. "Click" dramatizes the life of a middle-brow photographer as he tries to record the life of a part-time prostituted and drug addict; but his increasing identification with his subject moves him away from his own tenuous sense of self. The ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' compared ''Copy Cats'' to the work of short story writers

Andre Dubus Andre Jules Dubus II (August 11, 1936 – February 24, 1999) was an American short story writer and essayist. Biography Early life and education Andre Jules Dubus II was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the youngest child of Katherine (Burke) ...

and Richard Yates.

References

2005 short story collections American short story collections {{2000s-story-collection-stub