Before and Afterlives: Stories
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- USD 5.99
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- USD 5.99
Descripción editorial
"Although Christopher Barzak is now better known as a novelist, I've always been an admirer of his short stories. His new collection, Before and Afterlives, will make you one too. This generous offering of his best work displays impressive range, depth of feeling, a sharp sense of humor, and a fantastic imagination both lyrical and dark."
—Jeffrey Ford, author of Crackpot Palace
"How to conjure souls? Resurrect the past? Speak to the dead? Christopher Barzak has a talent for ghosts. In a world composed of more than its material aspects, Barzak seems to know that the things unsaid are what haunt us most. Before and Afterlives is a generous contribution to the art of being human."
—M. Rickert, author of Map of Dreams
Discover the haunting stories of Crawford Award-winning author Christopher Barzak in his new collection Before and Afterlives. These are tales of relationships with unearthly domesticity and eeriness: a woman falls in love with a haunted house; a beached mermaid is substituted for a disappeared daughter; the imaginary friend of a murdered young woman stalks the streets of her small town; a mother's teenage son is afflicted with a disease that causes him to vanish; a father exploits his daughter's talent for calling ghosts to her; and a wife leaves her husband and children to fulfill her obligations in the world from which she escaped. Winner of the 2014 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Collection!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Barzak's second collection of literary horror (after Birds and Birthdays) focuses on largely passive protagonists who spin destruction and madness out of everyday events: broken relationships ("Born on the Edge of an Adjective"), lost children ("The Drowned Mermaid"), and the deaths of loved ones ("A Mad Tea Party"). Absent fathers are common features, as are ghosts and revenants that are generally more interested in reminding the living of their presence than in bloody revenge. The more optimistic pieces, such as "The Language of Moths," focus on self-actualization prompted by a hint of supernatural intervention. Masterfully crafted but emotionally distant, the stories are more to be admired than enjoyed. Individually, each one packs a punch, but a certain sameness of tone from piece to piece keeps the collection from truly excelling.
