Nick Hornbyhellip;Giles Smithhellip;Helen Fieldinghellip;Roddy Doylehellip;Irvine Welshhellip;Zadie Smithhellip;Dave Eggershellip;Robert Harrishellip;Melissa Bankhellip;Patrick Marberhellip;Colin Firthhellip;John Orsquo;Farrell Compiled by bestselling author Nick Hornby and featuring brand new stories from the hottest writers on both sides of the Atlantic, Speaking with the Angel is a fresh and funny collection that is sure to be the literary anthology of the year. Here is a book that was inspired by a very special boy and a very special school. Some money from each copy of Speaking with the Angel sold will benefit autism education charities around the world, including The Treehouse School in London, where Nickrsquo;s son Danny is a student, and the New York Child Learning Institute here in the States. This project is truly a labor of love for Hornby and the other writers involved, many of whom are Nickrsquo;s friends. These original first-person narratives come from the most exciting voices in fiction. Melissa Bank gives readers a glimpse into the mind of a modern New Yorker whose still-new relationship is a constant source of surprise in ldquo;The Wonder Spot.rdquo; In Zadie Smithrsquo;s ldquo;Irsquo;m the Only One,rdquo; a young man recalls his strained relationship with his diva-esque sister. Dave Eggerrsquo;s ldquo;After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned,rdquo; is told from the viewpoint of an unfortunate pit bull. Helen Fielding offers up a new twist on Irsquo;ve fallen and I canrsquo;t get up in ldquo;Luckybitch.rdquo; And in Nick Hornbyrsquo;s ldquo;NippleJesus,rdquo; a bruiser finds out that guarding modern art is far more hazardous than controlling the velvet ropes at a nightclub. Speaking with the Angel also includes stories from Roddy Doyle, Irvine Welsh, Colin Firth, John Orsquo;Farrell, Robert Harris, Patrick Marber, and Giles Smith. Twelve completely new stories, written by twelve undeniably imaginative voices. Speaking with the Angel is at turns clever, outrageous, witty, edgy, tender, and wicked. This is what they meant by original. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	xi
PMQ	1
The Wonder Spot	21
Last Requests	31
Peter Shelley	44
The Department of Nothing	57
I'm the Only One	87
NippleJesus	98
After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned	126
Luckybitch	141
The Slave	153
Catholic Guilt (You Know You Love It)	185
Walking into the Wind	207
Editor's Notes	232

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.