Short Stories Books

The short stories deal with the vague passing of time and how things change. Set in Japan after World War Two the stories seem to be trapped between the trappings of the past and the changing landscape of the coming future. It focuses on the changing relationships between mother and children, between people and places, and between their minds and their own bodies.

I enjoyed the stories in this book and loved learning about the Japanese-American experience. I especially loved "The Way Love Works."

This collection of short stories is poignant, delicate, breathtaking. I can never come up with exactly the right words to describe it, but the stories make my heart ache, they are so tremblingly, delicately beautiful.

Other reviewers understandably and accurately comment on the way the author informs the reader on cultural and historical issues, but I believe this most remarkable masterpiece works because of the depth of its sensitivity to private human experience and its rare literary style. Not a word should be added, not a word removed.
Most of the stories speak of women who have confronted loss, but this is in no way a "woman's book." I have purchased a half dozen copies to share with friends here and overseas, and several of those have subsequently purchased more copies to send to their friends. All have loved it, both men and women. My only complaint about the work is that it ended too soon.
(While I myself generally prefer novels, in contrast to another reviewer I am not certain this author should be encouraged to write novels: she has developed too well the capacity to carve small fine gems.)
You will be glad to have read this rarely engaging and uncommonly touching short book.

The Laws of Evening is a memorable collection of poignant and moving stories. Set in Japan, they provide a compelling perspective on the experiences of different generations during World War II and its aftermath. Viewed through the eyes of grandparents, parents and children, the author explores themes of loss and separation, not only between generations, but also between those who fared differently in the war.

Out of a typically edgy landscape, rife with divisions and disconnections, both big and small, the author conjures recurring instances of the painful, hesitant acknowledgment of a changed reality ("The Laws of Evening are not the Laws of Afternoon"). From this acceptance ensues a transformation of the present and a renewed, broader connection to life.

My personal favorites in the collection are Seed, Shibusa and Rationing, each of which is associated with astonishing images of pain and growth that have a heart-breaking intensity to them.

The writing is careful, poised and conveys with precision the nuances of feeling of the protagonists. The author skillfully creates a backdrop to the stories that is cool and restrained (sometimes to the point of eerieness) prior to the reader being swept into the visceral resonance of experience that is profound and deeply moving. This, in my opinion, is writing at its best.

Umph .. Umph .. Umph .. Daniela and Caleb's love story was really good. Both had a fierce attraction to one another that escalated into a sizzling passion. Everyone around them could see it, except for them.

Buy and enjoy bcz a Maureen Smith novel is ALWAYS worth the money!

This is my second novel by this author and I can tell you she just gets better. A legal Affair is for true romantics. Daniela and Caleb's chemistry sizzles on the page and will have you wishing you had a crack at the sexy Caleb yourself. More than a man's man, Caleb has everything a woman could ever wish for. Daniela was a great heroine who was smart, sexy and knew how to hook her target with supreme ease. This author is one to watch.

Being in college right now, the prospect of finding a gorgeous teacher to fawn over and fall in love with is like the biggest fantasy popping around in my head. This is the second book that I devoured by Mrs. SMith and again was not disappointed. I believe this was her first stab at contemporary romance, rather than her usual romantic suspense and I'll be damned if she didn't blow us out of the water with this one as well. Ex lawyer turned rebel law professor Caleb Thorne is knocked off his feet when beautiful Daniella Roarke walks into his class late on the first day. From there, the book takes the most delicious turns. From a fight with sweets, to stolen kisses in a stoage closet, you'll be hooked. I hope my school gets a Caleb Thorne. he he he

In the first installment of Maureen Smith's Harlequin "Affair" series, one of the biggest cases in Roake Investigations history lands in their laps. Daniela Roake goes undercover as a law student in hopes of obtaining information from Caleb Thorne, her law professor, regarding his father's past indiscretions. However, after one look at Caleb, and knowing she would have to get even closer to him in order to complete her assignment, Daniela was a goner. Caleb, on the other hand never knew what hit him, one minute he was lecturing at a leisurely pace and the next he was staring into the face of his soul mate. After her first day jitters, Daniela gets into the swing of things, but is unprepared for the feelings Caleb evokes when they eventually find themselves alone. Unable to maintain his composure whenever Daniela is near, Caleb is willing to jeopardize his career to be with her. Daniela, torn between feelings of the heart and bound by duty, is having a hard time keeping her cover under wraps.

In Smith's first contemporary romance readers are rewarded with an awe-inspiring story about finding the perfect mate. Daniela and Caleb's relationship was an ignited fuse, burning fast, and finally triggering an ultimate explosion. Although, readers will not find the suspense, espionage and mayhem in Smith's previous novels, A LEGAL AFFAIR has enough twists and turns to keep you glued to its pages. I highly recommend this novel as well as book two, A Guilty Affair, and its follow-up, A Risky Affair slated for release March 2008.

Reviewed by Pamela Bolden
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

I truly loved this book!This is my first maureen smith novel and now i am a huge fan!!Its well written and enticing.Caleb is most defnitley my kind of man.Ive read alot and i do mean ALOT of romance novels and this one stands out from the rest!

Love of Goldens is wonderful book for anyone who shares their life with a golden or is thinking of adding one to the family. The photographs are beautiful and the essays and biographical stories are heartwarming.
You'll laugh alot and shed some tears before you put this book down. But be forewarned...people who have read this book have been known to suffer an irrepressible urge to run out and find the nearest breeder of Goldens.

We did. And our eight week old Maggie is sitting in my lap as I type this!

Just bought my third golden retriever, and was STILL amazed at how much I enjoyed the absolutely beautiful photography in this book. My brother got it for my Father for Christmas, and I liked it so much I bought one for myself the next day. Amusing stories to read about different goldens, too, but I had not seen a golden retriever book with such a wonderful collection of pictures on almost every page before. Definitely a keeper!!

This is a very light book with some very nice and "cute" photographs. Good for the coffeetable or bathroom.

Love of Goldens has cute stories and some of the best golden photos that I've ever seen! The photos are absolutely beautiful and there's a TON of them!! It's worth it to buy this book even if only to look at the pictures.

i think that if you like goldies and think they are so sweet, then buy this book!! it has stories about goldies, and it has the history of goldies, and such CUTE pictures. oh, by the way, i have a goldie myself, her name is "violet" she is the cutest, sweetest, smartest, most affectionate little doggy.

Novela ganadora del prestigioso Premio Alfaguara (Madrid, 1998) cuyo jurado fue presidido por Carlos Fuentes. Sergio Ramírez se consagra como un gran escritor con esta documentada y entretenida novela que cuenta la historia de dos vidas tan contrarias como paralelas: la del príncipe poeta Rubén Darío y la del tirano Anastasio Somoza García. Espíe o hágase cómplice de los conspiradores del asesinato! Siga a Rigoberto López Pérez en su entrenamiento para convertirse, a un mismo tiempo, en mártir y asesino. Vea cómo "Tacho" Somoza bailaba al son de un rico mambo de Pérez Prado poco antes de ser tiroteado con balas envenenadas por un arrecho y cellinesco orfebre. Llore o ríase de la esperpéntica y triste historia de la Caimana, la lesbiana más famosa de Nicaragua. Conozca a Margarita, la niña inmortalizada en el célebre verso que da título a la novela. Admire o apártese del bisturí del Sabio Debayle, amigo de Darío y difícil suegro de Somoza. Lea cómo todos estos "dramatis personae" integran humorosa comedia o tragedia sangrienta. Sergio Ramírez, respetado político y escritor, conoce la espada, y conoce la pluma. En esta novela nos ha obsequiado con literatura seria, con gracia original, y con estilos y formas modernos y variantes. Creo que este hombre se ha merecido los ciento setenta y cinco mil dólares del Premio Alfaguara. En el 2004 fue publicada su MIL Y UNA MUERTES. Como siga así, siguiendo los pasos de García Márquez, Ramírez podría un día llegar a recibir el Nobel.

Whether you are Nicaraguan or not and whether you know or do not know about their history, this is something you definitely need to read. Ramirez wrote an excellent story from history's point of view with a great touch of imagination. Furthermore, there are touches of humor throughout the whole story that will suit the reader in the right moment. The author has succesfully written a story which contains history as well as fiction. I do not want to say more for it will be better for you to discover what a great story this. Yo will also enjoy the book for it is rich in culture ...

Esta novela es más de lo que dicen los demás lectores que la recomiendan y que por aquí han dejado sus comentarios. Es el ejemplo claro de cómo un autor como Sergio Ramírez utiliza su talento literario para narrar en forma novelada, artística y educativa, y con alturas universales, eventos históricos que a primera vista pueden parecer cansinos y efímeros relatos de provincia. Si, por otro lado, usted no es de los que siguen de cerca la literatura hispanoamericana -centroamericana en este caso,- y no necesariamente quiere añadir este tomo, materialmente más perdurable a su colección, le recomiendo la edición de bolsillo de Punto de Lectura, también de la editora Alfaguara, disponible a mitad de precio. Después de todo, es la misma novela, sólo que más barata.

Even if your native language is Spanish, this is a hard book to read and comprehend. But what an unforgettable experience it brings to the reader! This book will haunt you and impact you for a long time. It is one of the best books of modern Spanish literature. A must read!

The poetry is definitely missing from this novel. It is beyond me how Sergio Ramirez could portray Ruben Dario, the greatest Nicaraguan poet and one of the greatest Hispanic poets ever, as a womanizer and a drunkard. He is a disgusting character. To make things worse, Ramirez does not reveal Ruben Dario's brilliance as a poet, omitting the poem that gives the book its title (Sergio: not everybody reading the book knows the poem by heart). The good side of the book is the story relating to Somoza's assassination, though the sexual innunedoes are very strong here too. Whether or not the assassination plot is fact-based, it is interesting and sort of a cliffhanger. Rigoberto Lopez-Perez, the hero/assassin, has a poignant story; the description of Somoza's first lady is unforgettably humorous. Nevertheless, this could have been a better book.

Book is outstanding for working with elementary students.
It arrived in perfect condition and in a timely manner.

This is a cool book that all teachers should read to their classe. You can learn about the Chatter-Box, The Playground Bully, The Homework gnome, and my favorite Ti-2 the Pencil-Grinder. He finds; he grinds and sells the pencil shaving to the great chefs of Pennsylvania. Funny!

These are good stories about the classroom at the end of the hall. I enjoyed the characters like the Homework Gnome and Dilly-Dally, the Doodles. It's easy to read and not preachy at all.

Hurrah for another Douglas Evans book about the Classroom at the End of the Hall! These stories are even better than the first. this was the best book I've read this year. My favorite story was The Homework Gnome because I hate homework like Hari. I also thought the Chatterbox was very funny.

Our teacher read us Classroom at the End of the Hall by Douglas Evans which is the prequel to this book. I thought it was very funny, but Math Rashes is even funnier. The students in this book sound like students in my fifth-grade class. I like the Chatterbox, The Pencil Grinder and the Homework Gnome. All teachers should definately read this book their class!

This was a great story, so interesting with the differences and similarities with the characters. I loved the vivid style of writing and felt like I was right there with them on thier adventure on the road. Awesome book! I will eagerly await anything else written by this fabulous author, Amy Wallen.
Thanks for sharing this with the world. I wish all books were this entertaining.

Elizabeth Slick

What a great book! I loved every minute of it. The characters are quirky and funny, yet Wallen never loses sight of their humanity. You will want to read the whole section about The Price is Right again and again--laugh out loud hilarious. This is a writer who knows what she's doing--spinning a tale that grabs the reader page after page and never disappoints. I can't wait to read the next book by this terrific writer.

This book is hilarious but not mean, touching but not maudlin. It follows three women as they Winnebago their way from Texas to Hollywood each with different motivations. The women are so real I fell in love with them the instant I met them and can't wait to see what they'll get up to next.

What I love about this book is that these characters could so easily have turned into stereotypes, but luckily for the reader, Wallen adeptly weaves in emotions and heartache into the hilarious story. So, whether you grew up in the South or in Hollywood, you care. You keep reading not only for the humor and quirkiness, but to find out what happens to these people who you've come to worry about. They are wonderfully flawed. Everyone has met these people before in their lives, most likely in their families! Reading this book was like catching up with someone you care about after they've taken a long trip.

For any fan of reading, this book is a must! What a fun little ride this treasure is! Amy Wallen certainly can spin a yarn!!!!

Meet Ruby Kincaid from Devine, Texas, population under 900!!!! Ruby owns and operates a bowling alley and if that isn't enough, she is raising her two young grandchildren, Bunny and Bubbie. Bunny and Bubbie have been abandoned by their mom, Ruby's daughter, Violet.

Violet has taken off for parts unknown, leaving her family, children, home town. Then, one day, Violet is on TV. She is the actress playing the ButterMaid in a commercial.

Chaos ensues -- Ruby, her fun-loving, rip-roaring, man-loving sister Loralva, Bunny and Bubbie, and Imogene, Violet's mother-in-law, all pack themselves into Imogene's Winnebago and head west. California here they come!!!!!

The road trip and everything that happens to these fun characters is a riot! The writing is excellent and very descriptive. The characters personalities SHINE. Ms. Wallen's artistic gift of writing has you seeing a crystal clear picture of everything -- from the landscape, the weather, the outfits Loralva throws together, to the character's emotions, the slang of the Texas characters -- this is such a good book.

Loralva's dream is to go to California and appear on THE PRICE IS RIGHT and it is almost as if YOU are sitting in the audience also or watching it on TV. Ms. Wallen has it down pat -- COME ON DOWN and read this book.

The plot moves and flows, the characters are life-like and become people you learn to care about. Hopefully, there will be more books with these fun and interesting group of characters in it. The road is bumpy, dreams don't always come true for these people, and the book is fun and entertaining.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. Also, note the jacket cover and artwork! How great, how creative, how the story is told from the jacket cover itself. Hats off to Roseanne Serra and Ross MacDonald for their creativity!

Read this book, hope for more. You will love it and have a good time reading this one!!!!!

Thank you!! Pam

CAUTION: Be aware of your surroundings if you are in public! You will find yourself bursting out in unexpected, uncontrollable laughter. This book, in fact, all of the books by Pat G'Orge-Walker are absolutely, positively, downright hysterical! I would love to see these characters brought to life on stage in a play.

I have never, ever laughed so much and so hard at any book in my entire life! I laughed so hard that I cried. My co-workers would come over to my cubicle to see if I was alright since I was usually the only person in my row after 5pm and I would find myself laughing out loud even though I tried hard not to. This was a wonderful, wonderful book and I was sorry to finally finish it. I have read all but one of this author's books (I am having trouble finding the last one as it is out of print now). Of the 3 that I have read, this was the funniest with "Cruisin On Desperation" being next. Definitely an enjoyable read!

This novel is off the wall.It is very funny,lively, and page turner.
It really blend with some of our church folks these days maybe, not as much, but it's there.I look forward to reading more from Pat.Keeping it real!!

This book had its moments that was funny and it makes you think about our "church folks". I enjoyed how things turned out in the end. I'm waiting for the next book to see what happens with Miss thing that was talking to the lawyer.

When Mother Eternal Ann Everlastin dies, the fried chicken hits the fan in Pat G'Orge-Walker's, Mother Eternal Ann Everlastin's Dead. After being a faithful member of Ain't Nobody Right But Us--All Others Goin' to Hell Church, pastored by the Rev. Knott Enough Money, Mother Everlastin moves her membership. Needless to say, the Rev. Bling Mo' Bling, of The No Hope Now--Mercy Neva Church, is all to happy to receive the wealthy-widowed-several-times-multimillionaire into his fold. When Mother suddenly dies with her hands clutched to the cash register during service, the antics begin as everyone competes for Mother's millions. Unknown to everyone, the overbearing Mother is still running things from the grave as she teaches the members of both churches a lesson on serving God with a sincere heart.

If you have ever gone to an African-American church you will recognize some of the antics in Mother Eternal Ann Everlastin's Dead. Although I am not a particular fan of this particular genre, I found this book to be laugh-out-loud funny at times. Walker managed to bring over-the-top characters to life while delivering a powerful message in the process.

If you are a Christian fiction fan and you like a good laugh, do, by all means, get a copy of Pat G'Orge-Walker's, Mother Eternal Ann Everlastin's Dead.

T. RHYTHM KNIGHT
APOOO BookClub

With Movies In The Mind: How To Build A Short Story, Colleen Rae provides the aspiring writer with compendium of sound advice, techniques, and strategies for writing plausible, believable, resonating fiction. Each informative chapter is a gem of sound, practical, illustrative, and occasionally inspiring instruction and includes: Entering The Storymaker's Realm; Fiction's Building Blocks; Participatory Art; Digging The Clay; Whose Story Is It Anyway?; Unlocking Your Story; How To Birth A Story; and There's Always A Critic. Very highly recommended for anyone seeking to improve the quality of their fiction, Movies In The Mind is further enhanced with a section of Exercise Pages, a Reading List; and a user-friendly index.

we need to learn how to work with them and how to make them work, this is in part what Colleen tells us here. Very nice book indeed and not the usual one. She doen't promise to become wealty by getting published, yet between the lines I think there is a hope for everyone of us becoming richer in the spirit. And this is why many of us write: to live a fuller life by reflecting on it. This book helps us in both ways - to write for the entertinment of others and for the deepening of one's thoughts - and I'm eagerly waiting for a second and third book with more entertaining tips and insight! Thak you Colleen.

This book is great, will really rev up your writing, and I'm not the only one who says so. The February 2001 issue of Wisconsin Bookwatch has the review : With "Movies In The Mind: How To Build A Short Story", Colleen Rae provides the aspiring writer with compendium of sound advice, techniques, and strategies for writing plausible, believable, resonating fiction. Each informative chapter is a gem of sound, practical, illustrative, and occasionally inspiring instruction and includes: Entering The Storymaker's Realm; Fiction's Building Blocks; Participatory Art; Digging The Clay; Whose Story Is It Anyway?; Unlocking Your Story; How To Birth A Story; and There's Always A Critic. Very highly recommended for anyone seeking to improve the quality of their fiction," Movies In The Mind" is further enhanced with a section of Exercise Pages, a Reading List; and a user-friendly index.

Colleen Mariah Rae's book is a unique approach to learning the art of writing fiction. It's strictly an inside job, and Rae helps you find answers to your fiction writing problems within yourself. Her emphasis on imagery and detail is presented in a straight forward manner that sheds new light on the subject. But her advice on developing a trait continuum for your characters is help of the most valuable kind. I look forward to seeing more books from her in this series.

John M. Whalen, Journalist/Freelance Writer

Before I finished the first chapter of this book, I saw a dramatic difference in my writing. If you want to learn how to connect with the mysterious well where all of our stories come from, if you want to understand what really grabs your reader and connects him/her with your story, read this book! It's not just for short story writers. It's for writers. Period. Look through Colleen Mariah Rae's eyes as you devour this book, and you'll see your creative world in a whole new light!

Poignant, warm and funny, this lively collection of stories wraps around the reader like that of a real-life experience. The setting is the deep freeze of the cold war - and Russia and China are on most antagonistic terms. But that tension is reflective - as the Chinese themselves seem to, absurdly, turn on themselves, at least in spirit. No lack of wit and great storytelling in "Ocean of Words."

When I read Ocean of Words, I was immediately reminded of two works by "the enemy" from this work, Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time and Tolstoy's Hadji Murad. All three works deal with fear, nature and the other. All three are strangely at peace with their situation and surrounding. All three are great. After reading this collection, I ran out and bought The Bridegroom and Waiting. Neither of these works rose to the level of this collection. This is one of the best short story collections published in the last twenty years. I would recommend this collection to anyone.

Ha Jin brilliantly evokes emotion in short stories that may take some an epic novel to create the same impact. His words are sunbeams bouncing on desolate land and you want to continue despite the heartbreak that you may only survive simply to survive. Never to fully live in the light. He is the most eloquent writer and he allows us to view a world not known to most Americans: China under Mao. Be swept away with words and emotions.

I'm very critical of some Chinese writers like Amy Tan for their distortions of a life they haven't experienced. But this doesn't apply to Ha Jin, who survived the Revolution and was a soldier. I really like this collection of stories because Ha Jin excels in writing vignettes by injecting fresh details. Anyone who is curious about Communist China should read this book. Skip his novels though.

"... whenever we slack a little in ideological education, problems will appear among our men."

Ha Jin, who is easily one of my favorite writers, is in top form in this collection of stories set along the border between Russia and China during the 1970s, when the two nations seemed headed for war. Jin captures the Chinese soldiers in perfect detail and renders them with a great care; they come across as deeply human, complex beings trapped in some pretty ruthless situations. They have little education and few choices in their lives - their only mandate is to serve the revolutionary ideal as prescribed by Chairman Mao and to stamp out "the disease of liberalism" that is plaguing their nation. Education, love, free thought, and many other qualities most of us take for granted are denied them. Even friendship is a dicey proposition, as any one of their compatriots could stab them in the back the moment an opportunity to get ahead in the party presents itself. Among Jin's characters you'll meet a dangerously intellectual young man whose studies may be screwing up his future, a lonely radio worker so desperate for female companionship that merely hearing a woman's voice is enough to steal his heart forever, an instructor who is given the opportunity to either get revenge on a former enemy or show him mercy, a depraved soldier who shockingly acts out against the teachings he has been forced to adapt to, and more. In all of their stories we see the outcome of a generation of men who have been brainwashed to live up to an ideal that even they don't always understand or agree with, but that they must work with in order to get ahead - or, in some cases, just to survive. More than one character falls victim to a witch-hunt of sorts that the soldiers engage in to prove that they are the most loyal to the cause. Without a doubt this was a dangerous time to live in, not only because of the ever-present Russian threat mustering along the borders but because of the paranoia and greed driving one's fellow soldiers to unexpected acts of treachery. Not to mention that what is acceptable one week may become taboo the next, so one must always be careful about which doctrines you follow and how strictly.

As always, Jin has put together a powerful portrait and some spellbinding character studies. While some readers may be put off by his stoic style, it is impossible to deny the enormity of his talent. Any reader would be hard-pressed not to find his writing compelling. I would highly recommend this collection, and I would also recommend picking up War Trash, which is my favorite of Jin's books so far, and Waiting: A Novel, a great read and a National Book Award Winner to boot. I would also recommend Tim O'Brien's Vietnam-era story collection The Things They Carried.
Grade: A

Presently you won't see Chris Offutt's name on any bestseller's list, but please don't let that discourage you from reading his wonderful work. In "Out of the Woods," Offutt follows the lives of ex-cons, alcoholics, gamblers, and drifters as they struggle to find direction and purpose.

Offutt's characters share one common thread, they were all born and raised in Appalachian communities in Kentucky. Reared in a culture in and of itself, these Kentuckians face harsh realities as they try to carve out a path for themselves in mainstream America. Most grapple with a strong desire to get out and see the world yet simultaneously they fight the urge to return to the comfort and security of home. In "Moscow, Idaho," a young prisoner on grave digging duty aims to turn over a new leaf and wonders if he will ever find a woman, a good job, and a town to settle in. "Two-Eleven All Around" is the story of a man who is so desperate for attention from his girlfriend, that he stages his own arrest in hope that she will hear about it while listening to her radio. These tales combine perseverance and heartbreak into poetic prose.

There have been comparisons of Offutt's writing to that of Raymond Carver's. Only in my opinion, Offutt is better. Carver's characters tend to present with a flat affect, but Offutt is able to take the reader subtly and deeply into his characters minds. Chris Offutt excels at what he writes about because he lived the life of his characters. He grew up in a small Appalachian community and at the age of nineteen he meandered across the country where he went through more than fifty jobs before returning to home and raising a family. Chris Offutt has come full circle and there is no doubt that he will find himself a place in the world of literature.

Ain't no such thing as a perfect story no matter how masterful the crafter is. That's what art is, I guess. It's the "imperfections" - maybe the particularities, the quirks and indiosicracies - which strick you in that very personal way like the writer is writing for you and you want to shake the hand which wrote that tale, which made your life a little better just now and you really want to say - thanks! After awhile, if the work is good, you don't feel like you're reading some book. This guy, Offut, is actually a very ordinary proser. It seems. Seemingly, not that much extraordinary stuff is going on. No sense of immediate beauty or anything like that. He writes as if he's one with the tale being told. There's this intimacy here, OUT OF THE WOODS, like you don't get in many places. He honors - people, life, words, and the putting together of. That's what I think. Some phrases jump at you with a real live human voice. ("I'm going with Jack," she said. "I'm sorry." - in TOUGH PEOPLE) ("What the f--- do you want?" - in TWO-ELEVEN ALL AROUND) I've been keeping these sentences in me for awhile and as corny as this sounds, they make me want to be a better person.

There's only a few writers that I hold as examples of what the art should be, and Chris is one of 'em.

This book of stories rivals Denis johnson's Jesus' Son as oneof the most compelling books of stories written in the last decade.Economically written and darkly funny, not one word is wasted. And the landscapes are etched with a painter's flare for light and form. I've read Mr. Offut's novel and memoir and they are very good. But this book is truly original, an example of how much promise the short story as a significant art form in 2000 and beyond.

Because I love short stories and Southern writers, I discovered Chris Offutt. Out of the Woods was his first book I read. It won't be the last. His fiction is serious, his characters haunting. Haunting because of the writer's honesty. Offutt turns on the overhead light and throws off the sheet. His protagonist in "Two-Eleven All Around" sums up all of his characters when he ponders, "Sometimes I don't think I've done anything to leave my mark in this world. I'm the kind of person the world leaves a mark on." Offutt has left his mark.