These ten short stories explore loss and sacrifice in American
suburbia. In idyllic suburbs across the country, from Philadelphia
to San Francisco, narrators struggle to find meaning or value in
their lives because of (or in spite of) something that has happened
in their pasts. In ""Hole,"" a young man reconstructs the memory of
his childhood friend's deadly fall. In ""The Theory of Light and
Matter,"" a woman second-guesses her choice between a soul mate and
a comfortable one. Memories erode as Porter's characters struggle
to determine what has happened to their loved ones and whether or
not they are responsible.Children and teenagers carry heavy burdens
in these stories: in ""River Dog,"" the narrator cannot fully
remember a drunken party where he suspects his older brother
assaulted a classmate; in ""Azul,"" a childless couple, craving the
affection of an exchange student, fails to set the boundaries that
would keep him safe; and in ""Departure,"" a suburban teenage boy
fascinated with the Amish makes a futile attempt to date a girl he
can never be close to.Memory often replaces absence in these
stories as characters reconstruct the events of their pasts in an
attempt to understand what they have chosen to keep. These
struggles lead to an array of secretive and escapist behavior as
the characters, united by middle-class social pressures, try to
maintain a sense of order in their lives. Drawing on the tradition
of John Cheever, these stories recall and revisit the landscape of
American suburbia through the lens of a new generation.
General
| Imprint: |
University of Georgia Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Release date: |
September 2008 |
| First published: |
October 2008 |
| Authors: |
Andrew Porter
|
| Dimensions: |
203 x 133 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Hardcover
|
| Pages: |
232 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-8203-3209-3 |
| Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Special features >
Short stories
Promotions
|
| LSN: |
0-8203-3209-7 |
| Barcode: |
9780820332093 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
