
"Nathaniel Stein has written a comic novel unlike anything that we have on hand recently: a small-scale exquisitist portrait of an improbable existence that has elements of both Kafka and Bruce Jay Friedman, and manages to be both appealingly absurd and strangely touching. A genuinely original book." --Adam Gopnik, New York Times-bestselling author of Paris to the Moon
"The Threat is a brilliant tour through one guy's self-obsession as he desperately tries to stay alive while also deciding why and if he really wants to--a darkly hilarious mystery about a man who finally comes to life when someone threatens to kill him. A genuinely funny novel--the kind we need more of!" --Steve Hely, Thurber Prize-winning author of How I Became a Famous Novelist"The Threat [is] absurd, hilarious, and quite touching. It's my favorite book of the summer." --Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and former Editor-in-Chief of Wired"New Yorker contributing humor writer Stein debuts with a darkly funny tale of a man's unraveling after he receives an unprovoked death threat... Stein's diverting story of self-aggrandizement is worth a look. --Publishers Weekly"This debut is an enjoyable, easy recommendation to readers looking for a humorous escape.... An excellent addition to displays of quick, engaging reads. Fans of Less by Andrew Sean Greer will enjoy Stein's tongue-in-cheek writing style." --Library Journal"Stein's clever first novel will charm readers; its simple premise snowballs into a side-splitting, thought-provoking meditation on how one man's seemingly inconsequential life finally overflows with grandiose meaning when faced with the prospect of death." --Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness