This is a short collection of short fiction by one of the masters of the form, Andres Dubus, Sr. All of these stories have been collected elsewhere; this edition has a preface by Todd Field, who made the movie "In the Bedroom" from Dubus's story titled "Killings". I have not seen the movie, but the story is powerful, disturbing and satisfying at the same time. Each selection in this group demonstrates Dubus's skill and craftsmanship, as well as his insight into how love happens and what it can cause to happen. Like James Lee Burke, his cousin, Dubus could combine elemental human emotion and individual moral ambiguity with devout Catholic faith in surprising ways to bring about inevitable results. This isn't light reading, but there's light in it which illuminates some shadowy corners of the human soul. Highly recommended.
Read and reviewed November 2013
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