In this sparkling, daring new work, Maud Casey explores how we survive modem crises of loss and love through the lives of women and men who are emotional and geographic nomads. Each flirts with madness and self-destruction while compulsively, gently, or haphazardly reaching toward life. These simple gestures of optimism and vitality, each gorgeously rendered, make Drastic a captivating read.Meet the reckless 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 to process her own grief; unlikely friends who meet in a domestic violence shelter; a young girl and the father who stole her away to escape his wife's disturbing mental illness. Absorbing and wide-ranging, Drastic is an unforgettable collection sure to be compared with the best of Ann Beattie, Lorrie Moore, and Mary Gaitskill.
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Book Description
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.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
“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 )
“Stories . . . that absolutely soar with illuminating little details that crack everything open and reach for hope.” (Hartford Courant )
“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 )
“[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 )
“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 )
“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 )
“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 )
“Stories . . . that absolutely soar with illuminating little details that crack everything open and reach for hope.” (Hartford Courant )
“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 )
“[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 )
“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 )
“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 )
“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 )
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
WHEN the sun was still high in the sky, giant Clara, the motel owner, came out of the office. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Bernadette, Great Dane, New York New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
WHEN the sun was still high in the sky, giant Clara, the motel owner, came out of the office. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Bernadette, Great Dane, New York New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 12
books:
See all 12 books this book cites
- The Shape of Things to Come: A Novel by Maud Casey on 4 pages
- Jesus Saves by Darcey Steinke in Front Matter
- Eva Moves the Furniture: A Novel by Margot Livesey in Front Matter
- Nora, Nora: A Novel by Anne Rivers Siddons in Front Matter
- The Orphan Game: A Novel by Ann Darby in Front Matter
See all 12 books this book cites
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