In Short Measures
Three Novellas
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- USD 12.99
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- USD 12.99
Descripción editorial
“A propulsively well-written trio of novellas linked by a sense of loss and an inquiry into the impossible past.” —Kate Christensen
In his three novellas, “In Short Measures,” “Strong Conspirators,” and “Sally Forth,” Michael Ruhlman delves deeply into the nuanced complexity of romantic and sexual love—and the inevitable evolution of the heart over the span of years and decades.
Each novella asks questions about the nature of love in terms of loyalty and fidelity—what are one’s obligations toward one’s spouse, one’s family, and one’s heart? In the first novella, “In Short Measures,” these questions are bound up in a writer’s work and a long-ago love. In the second, “Strong Conspirators,” an unforeseen, cataclysmic event calls for responses from a husband and wife that have never been rehearsed because they have never been required nor even imagined. In “Sally Forth,” a pair of old friends is forced to explore lost youth and lost love relative to maturity, marriage, and the passage of time.
Profoundly thought-provoking and satisfying, these novellas are beautifully written with plot twists from beginning to end that will captivate the reader.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestselling food writer Ruhlman (The Soul of a Chef) turns to another form of sustenance love in these three novellas. In the emotionally satisfying title story, the longest in the book, Grimsley Feller is a middle-aged single woman, a curator of Duke University's rare books collection. One day, on campus, she bumps into Emerson Randall, the man who, when they were students at Duke 25 years ago, was the love of her life. He is back to attend the memorial service of his one-time mentor. Now a Hollywood writer, and married with children, he and Grimsley excavate their shared past and wind up in bed together. The consequences of this act form the basis for a soap opera-ish situation that the author rescues through his sensitive handling of Grimsley's predicament and how she negotiates it. In "Strong Conspirators," a middle-aged husband and wife find the bonds of their relationship tested when an automobile accident forces one of them to make a huge sacrifice. This intense, gripping story will keep readers hooked. In "Sally Forth," a less consequential variation on the first story, with echoes of James Salter, two former college lovers from 20 years ago meet accidentally in New York City, where they find that, though both married, they are still attracted to one another. Although all three stories are narrow in terms of the variety of characters and the social worlds they explore, they are deep in their exploration of the characters' divided hearts, making Ruhlman's trio a worthy read.
