Fiction
Kaplan began his career as a writer of short fiction, under the aegis of William Maxwell at The New Yorker. His short stories and novels have drawn comparisons to J. D. Salinger, John Updike, Philip Roth, and John Cheever; his fiction has been praised by Salinger, Cheever, Walker Percy, Alice Munro, and Peter De Vries, among others.
On Pearl’s Progress:
“Remarkably fresh…. A deft and witty endorsement for the shock of the new….” –The New York Times
“Delightful…. sheer good writing.” –David Gates, Newsweek
On Two Guys From Verona:
“Fascinating…. a complex and often moving meditation on the passage of time…. a worthy and illuminating addition to the growing body of fiction about suburbia….” –Tom Perrotta, The New York Times
“Two Guys From Verona may well emerge as The Great American Novel, or at any rate the great one at the turn of the millennium….” –The San Antonio Express News
“Like John Updike, James Kaplan knows the suburban doldrums of domestic tedium and the elaborate power games that pass for congenial male bonding in those towns.” –Francine Prose, The New York Observer
“Kaplan’s marvelously supple and understated style… is the perfect vehicle for the suspense that charges this witty, sexy, and wise comedy of errors and correction.” –Booklist [starred]
