Writer Matthew Klam has displayed his distinctive talent in a small body of work.
Acclaimed as a fresh new voice with his 2000 collection "Sam the Cat and Other Stories," Klam appeared infrequently until the publication of his satirical 2017 novel "Who's Rich," which also received widespread praise.
Klam, now 60, makes a notable rare appearance with his short story "Hi Daddy" in the current issue of the New Yorker. The story, which examines a middle-aged man's coming to grips with his daughter's gaining independence as a young adult and caring for his aging parents, exhibits Klam's stylistic brilliance with a deeper maturity.
The short story follows Klam's "The Other Party," published in the New Yorker in 2022, which also focused on affluent professionals in suburban Washington, D.C. coping with life changes.
New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman in an interview accompanying "Hi Daddy" asked Klam if he's working on a collection of "suburban-D.C. family stories."
Klam replied "there is certainly a conversation going on between that last story and this one, about families and neighbors in the D.C. area, but I don't know how much more I have to say."
Devoted Klam fans like me will be excited to discover Klam's work in whatever direction his career takes.