Summer Contrary is online with new fiction, essays, and poetry, as well as reviews of these books :
Poetry: Northerners by Seth Abramson
Essays: Otherwise Known as the Human Condition by Geoff Dyer and A Journey with Two Maps by Eaven Boland
Fiction: And Yet They Were Happy by Helen Phillips, You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon, and The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen
Here’s the beginning of my review of The Bird Sisters:
When they were teenagers, Milly hoped to marry and have children, while Twiss hoped to stand on the Continental Divide and “to be the world’s most interesting spinster.” Rebecca Rasmussen’s debut novel, The Bird Sisters, opens at least half a century later with Milly and Twiss living together in the house where they grew up. Perhaps, as Twiss concludes, they just didn’t want those other things enough.
I loved The Bird Sisters so much, I mailed a hardcover copy to my niece. 🙂
There were many things I liked about the book too–one of which was the beautiful book itself.
What a wonderful publication—thanks for calling attention to it. The story “My father had this girlfriend” is so great. Contrary calls it a Commentary—their odd name for essays or creative nonfiction?—while the author calls it a short story on her blog. Whatever it is, it is 497 magic words.
Richard, thanks so much for your comment. I agree. I thought this piece was wonderful. especially the pov switch in the last paragraph and this:
“I know why my father kept this picture. I know why it hangs in his closet still. Because there are people who remind us of how we once loved, of who we once were, of the lives we had thought we might lead.”
Also cool that you counted the words–amazing what she does with less than 500.
Cynthia, a beautiful book cover for what I’d surmise is a beautiful book. I’ll check out your review next over at Contrary. Thanks for the link!
PS: Hope you’re summering well, I’m either poolside or in the mountains, hiding from this desert heat! 🙂
Thanks, Terresa. Happy summer to you!