The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories (WEST WORD FICTION) [Hardcover]

Catherine Brady (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2009 | Series: WEST WORD FICTION

The stories in this collection explore those moments when the seemingly fixed coordinates of our lives abruptly give way—when mother love fractures, a faithful husband abandons his family, a conscientious middle-class life implodes, or loyalty demands an excruciating sacrifice. The characters share a fundamental predicament, the struggle to name and embrace some faith that can break their fall. In equal measure, they hunger for and resist this elusive possibility and what it demands of them.The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories deals with a range of circumstances and relationships, and with characters who must decide what they are willing to risk for the sake of transformation, or for the right to refuse it. The stories trace the effort to traverse the boundaries between one state and another—between conviction and self-doubt, recklessness and despair, resignation and rebellion. And each story propels the reader to imagine what will happen next, to register the unfinished and always precarious quality of every life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the exemplary title story of Brady's third collection of closely observed San Fran-centric stories (following Curled in the Bed of Love), a relationship both playful and tense is revealed subtly by everyday stresses to be a charged power struggle between privileged equestrian college dropout Annie and Clay, the stable manager. Whether carried away by their horses or their hearts, Brady's characters fixate on the unpredictable, teetering between knowing what was ahead and refusing to know. Buffeted by outside forces (illnesses, busted pipes, financial straits and death), Brady's characters often waver and fall: in The Dazzling World, a woman who lost her last boyfriend to suicide can't make sense of her current relationship; Slender Little Thing follows a teenage mom, who struggles by day with the rich children she nannies and by night with her own daughter; a businessman leaves his family to work in a church-run homeless shelter in Those Who Walk During the Day. Excepting the self-involved protagonist of Wicked Stepmother, Brady's leads are likable and idiosyncratic, and her insight into their unstable lives will keep readers swaying between a sense of comfort and loss. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

The perils and thrills of life’s unexpected junctures, and the decisions made as a result, are featured in this enticing, challenging collection. “The Dazzling World” follows Cam and Judith, a long-suffering couple in their mid-thirties, during their trip to Guatemala City to visit Judith’s sister, who is working an archeological site off a highland village. After a particularly tumultuous excursion, the couple find themselves facing what appears to be the breaking point of their relationship, until new hope arises from an unexpected source. In “Wicked Stepmother,” a grown woman tries time and again to confront her dramatic, indifferent mother. When she finally has the chance, however, she finds it does not fulfill what she thought to be her life’s desire. In “Looking for a Female Tenant,” two college students slowly begin to test their limits while working summer jobs at a small resort in the Sierra Nevada. Other tales are set largely around San Francisco, and, just as in life, Brady’s adept narratives do not offer neat conclusions, but rather glimmers of the unknown. --Leah Strauss

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: University of Nevada Press (February 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874177634
• ISBN-13: 978-0874177633
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Elegant, Beautifully Crafted Collection of Stories, September 7, 2010

By 

E. Eslami - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories (WEST WORD FICTION) (Hardcover)

Catherine Brady's The Mechanics of Falling is a graceful collection of stories, an example of a writer in her prime with the power to horrify and delight, and always to surprise. Swinging from the shocking violence of "Looking For a Female Tenet" to the vine entangled claustrophobia of "This Dazzling World," and finally to the heartbreak of "Those Who Walk During the Day," Brady's abilities as a storyteller are dizzying. With prose both lucid and startling, Brady grabs and holds us, her sentences so emotionally resonant they are unforgettable. In a story like "Slender Little Thing," she demonstrates a profound compassion and patience for her characters, sketching out a lifetime before a mother and daughter in a way that seems effortless. These are people without affectation; what they say is true and real, what they do is true and real, even when marred by bad decisions that haunt them beyond the borders of the story.

In the last few years we have seen several strong story collections - Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us - meet with critical and commercial acclaim. Catherine Brady's The Mechanics of Falling most certainly deserves a place among these celebrated collections.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story collection, July 13, 2009

By 

Maud C. Goldfield (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories (WEST WORD FICTION) (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful story collection, so well crafted that one never even notices the craft or thinks about them being written at all. The characters in these stories make one reconsider what it means to be a parent, a son or daughter, a sister or brother, and about one's place in the world. Although they are a collection of stories, I found myself reading the book like a novel, not wanting to let these people go, not wanting to leave the mood and atmosphere that I had entered.

These are stories I will read again and again.

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacularly written..., July 1, 2009

By 

Mahri "Mahri" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories (WEST WORD FICTION) (Hardcover)

I got lost in these stories over and over again. This gifted writer makes you feel every page--and you can't wait for the next one. Her insight hooks you and leaves you wanting more with every story. So many times when I'm reading, even the books I'm enjoying, parts feel contrived and like I've read it somewhere before. These stories are original and such a gift to the reader. Catherine Brady is my favorite author!