Between Camelots (Pitt Drue Heinz Lit Prize) [Hardcover]

David Harris Ebenbach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2005 | Series: Pitt Drue Heinz Lit Prize

Winner of the 2005 Drue Heinz Literature Prize
Between Camelots is about the struggle to forge relationships and the spaces that are left when that effort falls short.  In the title story, a man at a backyard barbecue waits for a blind date who never shows up.  He meets a stranger who advises him to give up the fight; to walk away from intimacy altogether and stop getting hurt. The wisdom—or foolhardiness—of that approach is at the heart of each of these stories.  In “I’ll Be Home,” a young man who has converted to Judaism goes home for Christmas in Miami, and finds that his desire to connect to his parents conflicts with his need to move on. “The Movements of the Body” introduces us to a woman who believes that she can control the disintegration of her life through a carefully measured balance of whiskey and mouthwash. These are stories about loss and fear, but also about the courage that drives us all to continue to reach out to the people around us.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ebenbach captures the anxious musings of characters in transition in this debut collection of 15 stories, many focusing on younger male protagonists who find themselves adrift in the wake of romantic failures. In the title story, a lonely young man whose nights are marked by "masturbation, sighing journal entries, and then... bed" goes to a party hoping to meet a particular girl, but instead encounters a pretzel-noshing pseudo-philosopher who posits that in life, one is always moving from one false Camelot to the next, and that only fools keep seeking interpersonal bonds. The recently dumped, morose Oberlin grad of "Getting Back onto Solid Foods" returns to his college town for a vegetarian Thanksgiving with old friends, while the confused narrator of "Rebbetzin" feels awkward at a memorial service for his wife's former art professor. Ebenbach does a fine job of exploring his characters' longing for connection—between brother and troubled sister in "Pointing Up"; between a young teacher and his students (and his brand-new girlfriend) in "Social Games"—but his emphasis on interior monologue dampens the stories' power. (Oct.)
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Review

“These stories of searching young Americans are intimate and sharply detailed, sometimes hopeful, often sad, with just a taste of the strange. Between Camelots is about the scars of first losses, and the need to carry on. David Harris Ebenbach is always in full command, leading the reader moment-by-moment through his people's dis- and missed connections, ultimately leaving us alone with them at the quiet end of the night.”
—Stewart O'Nan

“In Between Camelots, David Ebenbach fearlessly treads onto the terrain of American loneliness with clear-eyed precision and perfect pitch. Whether they're about one-night stands or newly shattered hearts, struggling young marriages or two gay men simply trying to connect, these are stories that, above all, tell the truth. They are rendered with an honesty and compassion that can make you sit up and gasp.”
—Joan Leegant, author of An Hour in Paradise

“In these stories, David Harris Ebenbach creates a world so carefully observed and nuanced that each moment seems capable of changing everything.”
—Suzanne Greenberg, author of Speed-Walk and Other Stories

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press (October 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822942682
• ISBN-13: 978-0822942689
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,706,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful -- Even for non-literary types, September 22, 2005

By 

R. H. Ewing - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Between Camelots (Pitt Drue Heinz Lit Prize) (Hardcover)

Although the book is billed as a collection of literary fiction, and I have no doubt it fits that bill, this self-proclaimed lover of trashy mystery novels found it absolutely wonderful. The stories are quick reads but the language is so rich and evocative you feel like you must have read more pages than you did to feel as involved as you do. Fantastic. A perfect gift for all the loved ones in your life. (Not to mention all of the almost-loved ones you have just missed in your life.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Between Camelots, October 7, 2005

By 

fictiongirl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Between Camelots (Pitt Drue Heinz Lit Prize) (Hardcover)

This first collection is sharply drawn, quietly knowing, and at times, laugh-out-loud funny. David Ebenbach writes from a kind and clear-eyed place. These stories, like many, address love and loss, connection and disconnection, but Ebenbach finds a way to steal into our hearts. Each moment is worth savoring.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, October 2, 2005

By 

K. Vasquez (Pewaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Between Camelots (Pitt Drue Heinz Lit Prize) (Hardcover)

Like the previous reviewer, I'm more likely to be reading mystery or fantasy than prize-winning 'serious' fiction. But I read through this in one sitting, every story getting me more engaged than the last. The author takes on perspectives that are different from my life, but in every story I see something of myself--a sentence, a feeling that resonates with me. This was a truly engaging read.