No One You Know: Strangers and The Stories We Tell

During a lonely and difficult year, author Jason Schwartzman began allowing regular, everyday interactions with strangers to escalate. In NO ONE YOU KNOW, Schwartzman compiles dozens of these encounters and deftly reveals the kinship he finds there, ultimately reconsidering what it means to know someone. From taxi dispatchers to aquarium attendants, drifters to neighbors, exes to siblings, Schwartzman captures the space between people, meticulously distilling the turning point when strangers become intimates. Heartbreaking, insightful, and often profoundly funny, NO ONE YOU KNOW revels in connections, examining how we make ourselves known. A rich and beautiful debut. From Outpost19 Books.

"Sharply observational, atmospheric, with a clever surprise on every page" - Chloe Caldwell, author of I'll Tell You in Person

"Sparkling with humor...a one-of-a-kind book that will stay with me for years to come" - Lucy Tan, author of What We Were Promised

"Reminds us of the power and beauty of random encounters with strangers. Jason's honest, insightful and cathartic prose embraces you like a warm hug" - Noah Rosenberg

"Reads like a collection of Polaroids...told through Schwartzman's curious, caring, attentive eye" - Aaron Burch

"With the moral zip of Isaac Bashevis Singer and the sharp compassion of Lydia Davis" - Amanda Goldblatt