Drastic

$13.99

SKU: 9780060512552

Description

Meet the 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; unlikely friends who meet in a domestic violence shelter; a young girl and the father who stole her away to escape his wife’s mental illness; a graduate student from a suburban family who believes her physical connection to the world is deteriorating. Maud Casey — author of The Shape of Things to Come, a New York Times Notable Book — explores how we survive modern crises of loss and love through the lives of emotional and geographic nomads. Each flirts with madness and self-destruction while reaching toward life. These simple gestures of optimism and vitality, gorgeously rendered, make drastic an unforgettable collection.

“Well-written . . . novelistic, its theme of loss made palpable and powerful . . . such riches.” “Tak[ing] a dazzling narrative dare.” “Refreshingly unaffected. . . . There’s a deliberate tenderness in Casey’s handling of her characters.” “Striking . . . a gem.” “A complex, mature, and compelling novel.” “Skillful, moving . . . A winning combination of emotional resonance, subtle humor and wisdom.” “Stories . . . that absolutely soar with illuminating little details that crack everything open and reach for hope.” “Edgy, thought-provoking, charged with raw emotion, Drastic is an impressive collection from a rich and wonderfully unpredictable talent.” “Sad and funny, Casey’s warm-hearted, fine stories reach like a pair of outstretched arms for comfort and truth.” “[Drastic] is a treasure trove of jewels to live for–stories beautiful, multi-faceted, and fierce with light.” “Writing with power, beauty, and a searing vision, Maud Casey creates stories that change the world before our eyes.” “The characters in Drastic struggle to understand their lives…in prose that is quiet and illuminating.” “Casey tells these stories with a compassionate voice that would give anyone of these people a reason to live.” “The characters in Casey’s stories find their solace … in the moments love cracks the rock face of the ordinary.” “Maud Casey snakes beneath our consciousness, one deft sentence at a time. Drastic is a wholehearted work of art.”

Additional information

Weight 9 oz
Dimensions 1 × 5 × 8 in