Fidelity: Stories [Hardcover]

Michael Redhill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2004

Michael Redhill conjures up many unexpected twists in 10 richly textured stories that range from the darkness of family silences to the hilarity of people caught in their own snares. The vulnerabilities of Redhill's characters are our own: a business-trip affair leaves a man humbled in ways he cannot anticipate; a young lover discovers she does not understand what connects people to each other; a traveling salesman, in trying to remain friends with his ex-wife, keeps breaking her heart; and a teenager's shocking sexuality inflicts wounds on her family. FIDELITY probes the nature of temptation and desire, the ambivalence at the heart of our most intimate trusts, and the paradox of betrayal, which is that we cannot deceive others unless we have first deceived ourselves. With his unflinching attention to emotional detail, Redhill proves once again to be "a writer of considerable humanity and insight." (A. L. Kennedy)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Heartbreak and betrayal run through Redhill's slim collection of muted but well-wrought stories examining the damage people inflict on themselves and others when their relationships fail. Redhill (Martin Sloane) gives his characters believable vulnerabilities and a touching humanity, even as they make messes of their lives: a traveling school-portrait photographer who visits his ex-wife each year tries but fails to tell her how things have changed; a father finds himself unable to cope with his teenage daughter's shocking sexual behavior; a young woman struggling with a rocky relationship doubts the very idea of connection to another person; and a Jewish man wrestles with the morality of banking his sperm before he has a vasectomy that will make intimacy with his wife easier. In one of the most affecting stories, "Long Division," a precocious child bears the burden of his parents' disenchantment with each other. Redhill's writing is graceful, so his stories of people who are "lonesome with people and without them" are moving without being maudlin. Most of the 10 tales contain a whopper of a flashback—a childhood memory that goes a long way toward explaining how the protagonist became the scarred adult he or she is—and while the device begins to feel overused, it's a small flaw in an otherwise quietly moving collection.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Redhill, author of the critically acclaimed novel Martin Sloane (2002), now presents a collection of 10 short stories that explore intimacy, desire, relationships, and family vulnerabilities. A man remains friendly with his ex-wife but keeps dashing her hopes of rekindling their relationship. A teenager's sexual promiscuity ravages her relationship with her parents. A young woman is troubled by the failing relationship of an older couple she holds in high regard. A couple is driven apart by the unusual brilliance of their child, a mathematics prodigy. A man has an affair on a business trip, leaving him emptier than he ever thought possible. The twists and turns of Redhill's marvelous stories are not unusual, and that's what makes them so wonderful--these are experiences, sometimes devastating and cruel, that could very well be the stories of anyone with a family or relationship. Redhill explores the trust and boundaries of what happens in a relationship, and the varying degrees of fidelity that come with it, in these richly nuanced, beautifully composed vignettes. Michael Spinella
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (March 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316734993
• ISBN-13: 978-0316734998
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,028,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good!, March 23, 2004

By 

Jessica (MASSACHUSETTS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fidelity: Stories (Hardcover)

Wow! I'm the first person to review this book! *I feel special*

It was good. A bit depressing, since its a bunch of stories in one book that are all centered around the same thought: truth. "What does it mean to be true?" he quotes. They are all themed around heartbreak and betrayal; whether it concerns family or lovers. It makes you wonder about your life and philosopy in general. What happens when you stop loving someone, or they stop loving you? Redhill's book portays much meaning, and is very propeling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It will Speak To you., October 17, 2004

By 

pete - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fidelity: Stories (Paperback)

Michael Redhill came to Newfoundland, for the March Hare writers weekend last year. He is such a great story teller, and I haven't read or even heard his name before. I listened closely, as he told a story from Fidelity. His voice was so smooth, and relaxing. I picked up Fidelity soon after,and was blown away by the honesty, and the way Redhill really captures different relationships. It was a great, easy read, but deep on many levels. This is a great book, which leaves you with something to think about, long after the last page.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fidelis, May 9, 2010

By 

I. L. Barrett (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fidelity: Stories (Hardcover)

The voice is straightforward. Within the seemingly simple stories creep fantastic insights into the human condition.