Amy Bloom was nominated for a National Book Award for her first collection,
Come to Me
, and her fiction has appeared in
The New Yorker, Story, Antaeus,
and other magazines, and in
The Best American Short Stories
and
Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards
.
In her new collection, she enhances her reputation as a true artist of the form.
Here are characters confronted with tragedy, perplexed by emotions, and challenged to endure whatever modern life may have in store. A loving mother accompanies her daughter in her journey to become a man, and discovers a new, hopeful love. A stepmother and stepson meet again after fifteen years and a devastating mistake, and rediscover their familial affection for each other. And in "The Story," a widow bent on seducing another woman's husband constructs and deconstructs her story until she has "made the best and happiest ending" possible "in this world."