Drastic: Stories [Paperback]

Maud Casey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2003

Meet the college graduate working in a whole body–donation clinic; a young woman obsessed with Benedictine monks; a middle-aged woman who becomes a stand-in talk-show guest; unlikely friends who meet in a domestic violence shelter; a young girl and the father who stole her away to escape his wife's mental illness; a graduate student from a suburban family who believes her physical connection to the world is deteriorating. Maud Casey -- author of The Shape of Things to Come, a New York Times Notable Book -- explores how we survive modern crises of loss and love through the lives of emotional and geographic nomads. Each flirts with madness and self-destruction while reaching toward life. These simple gestures of optimism and vitality, gorgeously rendered, make drastic an unforgettable collection.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Maud Casey follows her New York Times Notable debut, The Shape of Things to Come, with Drastic, a skillful, moving collection of stories. "Seaworthy" sets the tone as adolescent Irene and her father take a vacation, leaving her mentally ill mother behind. In "Days at Home," a woman moves in with her mother, who goes on more dates than she does; the 48-year-old narrator of "Talk Show Lady" is hired to play a variety of dysfunctional guests on a Maury-style program. Casey infuses her characters' bleak situations with a winning combination of emotional resonance, subtle humor and wisdom.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Stories . . . that absolutely soar with illuminating little details that crack everything open and reach for hope.” (Hartford Courant )

“Striking . . . a gem.” (Elle )

“Refreshingly unaffected. . . . There’s a deliberate tenderness in Casey’s handling of her characters.” (Washington Post Book World )

“Well-written . . . novelistic, its theme of loss made palpable and powerful . . . such riches.” (New York Times Book Review )

“The characters in Drastic struggle to understand their lives...in prose that is quiet and illuminating.” (Jason Brown, author of Driving the Heart: And Other Stories )

“Skillful, moving . . . A winning combination of emotional resonance, subtle humor and wisdom.” (Publishers Weekly )

“A complex, mature, and compelling novel.” (Chicago Tribune )

“Tak[ing] a dazzling narrative dare.” (New York Times Book Review on Notable Book of the Year THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME )

“[Drastic] is a treasure trove of jewels to live for--stories beautiful, multi-faceted, and fierce with light.” (Stuart Dybek, author of The Coast of Chicago )

“Edgy, thought-provoking, charged with raw emotion, Drastic is an impressive collection from a rich and wonderfully unpredictable talent.” (John Searles, author of Boy Still Missing )

“Writing with power, beauty, and a searing vision, Maud Casey creates stories that change the world before our eyes.” (Erin McGraw, author of Lies of the Saints )

“The characters in Casey’s stories find their solace ... in the moments love cracks the rock face of the ordinary.” (Ann Darby, The Orphan Game )

“Casey tells these stories with a compassionate voice that would give anyone of these people a reason to live.” (Mary Kay Zuravleff, The Frequency of Souls )

“Maud Casey snakes beneath our consciousness, one deft sentence at a time. Drastic is a wholehearted work of art.” (Nicholas Weinstock, author of As Long As She Needs Me )

“Sad and funny, Casey’s warm-hearted, fine stories reach like a pair of outstretched arms for comfort and truth.” (Lily Tuck, author of Limbo, and Other Places I Have Lived: Stories )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (July 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060512555
• ISBN-13: 978-0060512552
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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