Varieties of Disturbance by Lydia Davis

It would probably be more educational to read a sociological study, but reading this book is the next best thing as it is crafted with sociology and "scientific method" in mind. I never considered certain academic styles to be literary devices before, but Lydia Davis reveals that they can work as such (while providing a nice framework for an alternative plot-line). Breaking free of standard plot is the thing Davis does the best. The stories in this book of very short fiction range from a few sentences to several pages long. Style is elevated above character development. The stories often read like sociological or psychological studies. Some are like snipets of a conversation you might overhear on the bus. This is a highly unusual book.