Glass Houses [Paperback]

George Rabasa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

If you can laugh at--or with--Minnesotans, this is your book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first collection of short stories, Rabasa introduces a delightfully bizarre world and sheds light on it from 19 different angles. Each story is more entertaining than the last, and the overall effect is refreshing even if Rabasa's penchant for the outlandish detail seems contrived at times. In "A Small Mystery," Eleanor Wright is convinced that her new neighbor, Walter Pribble, is a criminal. While her husband markets a new cereal using his neighbor's name (Grain, Fruit 'n Nut Pribbles), Eleanor is fascinated by Walter's nightly ritual of prancing around his kitchen naked. Then there's Sally Caslon in "Beyond the Norm," who sells the head of Mrs. Arveda Gutterman, a 19th-century serial killer, at a garage sale for $50. The local color of Rabasa's realm is especially bright in "The Garbage House," where the Halvorsons of 467 Farrell Street are forced into a Super Eight Motel while sanitation experts empty three tons of garbage that have accumulated during the couple's decade-long quarrel over who should wash the dishes. The greatest strength of this collection is its dialogue. Rabasa recreates the subtle misunderstandings of everyday banter, giving each character such a distinct voice that the dialogue could practically stand on its own. Even though it leaves questions unanswered and problems unresolved, these surreal Glass Houses are definitely worth prying into.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Coffee House Press; 1st Ed. edition (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566890519
• ISBN-13: 978-1566890519
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,977,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Attention grabber... and keeper!, December 25, 2011

By 

Frederick Regenold - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glass Houses (Paperback)

I thought I could read one story from the collection, then wait before going to the next. No way! Marvelous characterizations with a wide variety of colorful personalities, and the author comes up with a fascinating assortment of situations that will tickle your curiosity. Loved it all!

5.0 out of 5 stars insightful, sensitive, funny stories, August 5, 2005

By 

J. Garciagodoy "La Desconocida" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glass Houses (Paperback)

Masterful writing brings the reader intimately close to beautifully drawn characters: suburban residents, some fearful of themselves or of a nearby city ; a child living in comfort in a garbage house; a circus family in which a son with only one talent is absorbed by his act permanently... Rabasa shows us to share his respect and empathy for the weird, the sad, and the winning with intelligence and humor.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fragile, Handle with Care!!, October 24, 2000

By 

"wildmind1" (Newark, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glass Houses (Paperback)

George Rabasa's writing is flexible and astute as he explores the conflict-ridden inward lives of home workers, security guards, disgruntled yuppies, and carnival performers, to name but a few of the many characters in "Glass Houses". With such a varied cast, it is the abundance of Rabasa's details that create the lives of these workers and provides a sense of cohesion to his collection of nineteen short stories. Rabasa strongly relies on his ability to convey the inner anxieties and often paralyzing fears of his characters in everyday occurrences. Most of the short stories in this collection are short enough to be read on bus rides, during a lunch break, and even in between classes. Rabasa provides an entertaining cast of characters that prove that we may be more alike in our everyday fears than we would probably like to admit.