NEW YORK (AP) _ Read the stories in ''You Are Not a Stranger Here'' and you might expect author Adam Haslett to be a dark, brooding man with a few nervous twitches and a taste for prescription drugs.

But over breakfast at a downtown restaurant, the tall, slim Haslett offers a firm handshake, a wide smile and a warm hello. His shirt is clean and buttoned, his pants are tailored and, in his hand, he carries a well-read copy of The New Yorker.