My Horse and Other Stories (New American Fiction) [Paperback]

Stacey Levine (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 18 stories in this debut collection range from the disquieting to the bizarre to the terrifying. One stands out for having all these qualities. A woman discovers a "flesh-colored hump" on her shoulder that cannot be removed. What is frightening is not the plot, which finishes on a vague note, but the woman's all-consuming obsession--"It might have been possible that the hump jiggled and swayed somewhat less now than it had when it first appeared, a month before; it seemed harder, and being harder, it also seemed smaller." Another chilling story concerns a miniature pet horse that seemingly becomes a metaphor for the psychological and sexual abuse of weaker creatures--"I would knead him then; he never struggled . . . and once, because I held him for so long, he began to howl." Other stories, including one about a self-abusing boy-man who hungrily stuffs himself with furniture and later becomes a judge, sacrifice internal logic for shock value. While some tales are successful for their rhythm and lyricism, the focus on the gruesome and the lack of character development make this a generally uneven work.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Sun & Moon Press; 1st edition (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557131244
• ISBN-13: 978-1557131249
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,603,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stacey Levine wrote My Horse and Other Stories (PEN/West Fiction Award), The Girl with Brown Fur, and the novels Dra--- and Frances Johnson (Finalist, Washington State Book Award). A Puschcart Prize nominee, her fiction has appeared in the Denver Quarterly, Fence, Tin House, The Fairy Tale Review, Seattle Magazine, The Washington Review, Santa Monica Review, Yeti, and other venues. She has written for The Chicago Reader, The Seattle Times, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Her one-act play, Susan Moneymaker, Large and Small, was published by Belladonna Books NYC. She received the 2009 Stranger Genius Award for Literature. Her fiction has been translated into Danish and Japanese.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seriously, buy and read her books. NOW!, August 10, 2001

By 

Mark Twain - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Horse and Other Stories (New American Fiction) (Paperback)

Stacey Levine's collection, My Horse and Other Stories, and her novel Dra-, are among the most stunningly bizarre and pleasing works of fiction that I have ever read and I count them among only a handful of books that I frequently pick up and begin reading for writerly inspiration, as they defy categorization and never lose their capacity to surprise and amaze. Anyone who seeks writing in the tradition of Kafka and Kobo Abe will absolutely love these books. Publishers Weekly mentions "sacrificing internal logic," but a more accurate description might be either "redefining" it or "not succumbing" to it. If internal logic is tone and voice, then Stacey Levine's work introduces even the most jaded reader to something completely new. As a reviewer once wrote (apparently I am not supposed to refer to reviewers on this page), her writing is often both "simultaneously funny and disturbing," and combined with her rapturous lyricism, the effect is cathartic and out-of-body, even when the writing is explicitly exposing "the oppressive mechanisms" of the body itself, as the reviewer so aptly described it. Even the darkest and most disturbing passages cannot be called "gruesome" (as PW put it) because they are controlled so expertly by Levine's masterful tone that there is always a kind of strange otherworldly beauty that shines through, and humor, uproarious humor that suddenly wells up, making one want to immediately share it with whoever is around, including strangers, for these are among the most laugh-out-loud funny books I have ever read. Even in the darkest most blackly poetic scenes there is a kind of disturbingly giddy humor that makes one want to climb out of one's skin for joy. On the other hand, if what is meant by "internal logic" is the trite conventionality and expectation that continues to hold morbid sway over the dominating and overspent traditions of realism (yes, I am beginning to sound full of myself, sorry) than this is exactly the sort of writing that Levine refuses to succumb to, and that is what makes her writing so great: not tired routine and sleepwork, but high heavenly art. Seriously, buy and read her books. NOW!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Smart and Sensitive Look at Power and Oppression, August 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: My Horse and Other Stories (New American Fiction) (Paperback)

On the surface, this book offers startlingly beautiful language and heart-stopping imagery. But its offerings merely begin there. Levine, a master of metaphor and tone, uses these 18 surreal parables to critique power dynamics and to expose the oppressive mechanisms of family, relationships, body and gender. Often simultaneously funny and disturbing, these stories will resonate years after a first reading. Her expert use of the surreal is often called Kafka-esque, an overused and misused literary cliche that, for once, fits the bill. Her keen grasp and expression of humanity's politics precisely suits Kafka's legacy while her expert use of language and imagery remind us that writing really is an art.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Smart and Sensitive Look at Power and Oppression, August 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: My Horse and Other Stories (New American Fiction) (Paperback)

On the surface, this book offers startlingly beautiful language and heart-stopping imagery. But its offerings merely begin there. Levine, a master of metaphor and tone, uses these 18 surreal parables to critique power dynamics and to expose the oppressive mechanisms of family, relationships, body and gender. Often simultaneously funny and disturbing, these stories will resonate years after a first reading. Her expert use of the surreal is often called Kafka-esque, an overused and misused literary cliche that, for once, fits the bill. Her keen grasp and expression of humanity's politics precisely suits the Kafka legacy. Her expert use of language and imagery remind us that writing really is an art.