Lately, the news out of rural Appalachia has not been good: a train derailment, toxic chemicals, the opioid epidemic. In contrast to all of that, Jolene McIlwain has written a stunning new collection of short fiction that presents a region known for hunting, fishing, fracking and Rolling Rock beer in all of its tender and terrifying complexity.
"Sidle Creek" by Jolene McIlwain Lately, the news out of rural Appalachia has not been good: a train derailment, toxic chemicals, the opioid epidemic, deaths of despair. In contrast to all of that, Jolene McIlwain has written a stunning new collection of short fiction that presents a region known for hunting, fishing, fracking and Rolling Rock beer in all of its tender and terrifying complexity.
In the title story, a father places warm stones from Sidle Creek on his daughter's belly to relieve the debilitating cramps of endometriosis. A retired math professor in"The Fractal Geometry of Grief" builds a glass shelter on his wooded property to protect a doe he fell in love with after his wife's death.
A striking number of the 22 stories in the book feature the distinctive voices of young girls and women and center the experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and infertility."You Four Are the One" is narrated by Lanie, one of four precocious preteens who spend a summer helping care for a neighbor with a high-risk pregnancy, an all-consuming activity that Lanie declares to be"much more exciting than being at the pool and trying to ignore everyone bikinied who'd 'developed.
The first-person-plural of the story is only one of the thrilling narrative devices that McIlwain uses to tell her linked stories. Some are short enough to qualify as flash fiction, others as lyrical as poetry. Still others make daring leaps in time like"Seeds," told from the point of view of a man looking at a childhood picture of his recently deceased wife and imagining the traumatic life,"beaten speckled plum" by an abusive stepfather, that lay ahead for her.
Characters in a few stories pop up in others but what truly knits the collection together is McIlwain's reverence for and knowledge of the natural world.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
Dacia Jogger (2023) review: youth and eagerness trouncing age and wisdom'The Dacia Jogger is such an honest car that it’s almost impossible to dislike.' Full review of the updated family wagon here ⤵️ 👀
Consulte Mais informação »
Review: Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5WIRED Beautifully built and finished. Robust, expansive, and energetic sound. Quirky looks. TIRED Expensive. Not quite the 360-degree audio it claims. Quirky looks. 📸: Bang & Olufsen
Consulte Mais informação »
Platonic review: A surprisingly thoughtful coming-of-middle-age comedySeth Rogen and Rose Byrne re-team with Neighbors director Nick Stoller to put the fun in dysfunctional in this thoughtful Apple TV Plus series.
Consulte Mais informação »
Review: “What the Constitution Means to Me” at TimeLine Theatre'Heidi Schreck's deeply personal Broadway show, 'What the Constitution Means to Me,' explored how the U.S. Constitution, seemingly abstract as it may be, had profoundly influenced the life of an American woman in her mid-40s,' writes ChrisJonesTrib.
Consulte Mais informação »
Used BMW 4 Series Review - 2021-presentRead the definitive used BMW 4 Series 2021 - present review from What Car?. We tell you what you need to know before you buy.
Consulte Mais informação »
Xpeng G9 review | AutocarREVIEW: The Xpeng G9 will lead the firm's ambitions in Europe - we see if the premium SUV is any good ⚡
Consulte Mais informação »