Jill McCorkle's new collection of twelve short stories is peopled
with characters brilliantly like us-flawed, clueless, endearing.
These stories are also animaled with all manner of mammal, bird,
fish, reptile-also flawed and endearing. She asks, what don't
humans share with the so-called lesser species? Looking for the
answer, she takes us back to her fictional home town of Fulton,
North Carolina, to meet a broad range of characters facing up to
the double-edged sword life offers hominids. The insight with which
McCorkle tells their stories crackles with wit, but also with a
deeper-and more forgiving-wisdom than ever before. In Billy Goats,
Fulton's herd of seventh graders cruises the summer nights, peeking
into parked cars, maddening the town madman. In Monkeys, a widow
holds her husband's beloved spider monkey close along with his
deepest secrets. In Dogs, a single mother who works for a
veterinarian compares him-unfavorably-with his patients. In Snakes,
a seasoned wife sees what might have been a snake in the grass and
decides to step over it. And, in the exquisite final story, Fish, a
grieving daughter remembers her father's empathy for the ugliest of
all fishes. The success behind Jill McCorkle's short stories-and
her novels-is, as one reviewer noted, her skill as an archaeologist
of the absurd, an expert at excavating and examining the comedy of
daily life (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Yes, and also the tragedy.
General
Imprint: |
Algonquin Books
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Shannon Ravenel Books (Paperback) |
Release date: |
March 2003 |
First published: |
March 2003 |
Authors: |
Jill McCorkle
|
Dimensions: |
206 x 137 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
256 |
Edition: |
1st pbk. ed |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-56512-397-7 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Special features >
Short stories
|
LSN: |
1-56512-397-2 |
Barcode: |
9781565123977 |
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