Autocorrect: Stories

The 33 pieces in this entertaining collection from Keret (Fly Already) lay bare the absurdities, anxieties, and ironies of contemporary existence. In the Cinderella story “Soulo,” a neuroscientist who cofounded the Faculty of Loneliness Studies of the Berlin Free University designs a robotic companion who fits her every need. The bickering childless couple in “Chinese Singles Day” buy a bargain-priced dining set complete with a free baby seat, which forces them to discuss whether they plan to have children. The fatalistic “Genesis, Chapter 0” chronicles a man’s existential frustrations, beginning with the boredom he feels after recovering from chronic pain following an accident and continuing through his difficult marriage (their couple’s therapist views their relationship as “an incurable disease”) and his worries about his son’s military service. War’s terror and absurdity permeate several of the entries, such as the breathtaking “Cherry Garcia Memories with M&Ms on Top,” which begins with the line, “Sometimes I wonder how many of the people I know have ever killed someone,” before describing a nightmarish face-off between two opposing soldiers whose rifles have jammed. Taken together, these vignettes form a vibrant tapestry of surprising depth. Agent: Andrew Wylie, Wylie Agency. (May)