Florida by Lauren Groff: Beautiful, Haunting Stories of the Sunshine State
Few books capture the heat, the beauty, and the low hum of wildness in Florida quite like Lauren Groff’s story collection, named simply Florida.
Published in 2018 and a finalist for the National Book Award, Florida gathers eleven stories steeped in the state’s swamps, sinkholes, snakes, and summer storms. Groff, who lives in Gainesville, writes about Florida the way only someone who both loves and is awed by it can, finding wonder in the same humid afternoon that holds a little dread. Wandering mothers, restless children, panthers, and hurricanes drift through pages that feel as thick and green as the landscape itself.
It is literary, atmospheric, and unforgettable, perfect for readers who like their sense of place rich and a touch wild. A gorgeous companion to the natural Florida we love.
