Hard to believe at first, but it is possible to write a complete story—with plot, setting, and character—in exactly fifty-five words or less. Called “ss shorts,” these stories, narrated clearly and with a style and tone to match... Read More

In 1704 England, the work of “wisewomen” gives way to the emerging class of male physicians who seek to supplant, by decree or by force, these folk-healers, herbalists and midwives. Deborah Smith, the last in a long line of pagan... Read More

This debut novel starts out calmly enough, as if the author is driving a taxi slowly down a New York street, pointing out quirky neighborhood characters. Then, when the introductions are over, she puts the pedal to the metal, there’s a... Read More

The publishing tale of how Buten’s graceful and bril- liant novel about an autistic young boy is nearly as interesting as the book itself. First published in 1981, the novel received critical acclaim but languished in the blurry region... Read More

Walther traces a triangle between America, England and France as passion and political intrigue arrive by land and sea to a world on the brink of the Revolutionary War. In an effort to avenge her parent’s death, whose ship was sunk by... Read More

A naive young Scottish doctor is assigned by the Allied army to a Russian-guarded refugee camp during World War II. No one seems to know why, but refugees are dying of a grotesque illness. The Russians are at a loss. Can the doctor... Read More

‘Everybody goes to Heaven, Eloise,’ he said.‘It’s just different for everybody.’ Ray’s story begins in his own heaven, which consists of a coveted spot in the Last Words group where everyone lies about their last words to... Read More

If there is such a thing as every day life, Ellis captures it perfectly. She captures the inane obsessions, the subtle paranoia, the pains of raising children, the modern day stepfamily nightmares and the complexities of sexual tensions.... Read More