Close-Ups

by Sandra Thompson

Overview

Sandra Thompson takes us inside the lives of women struggling to find their places among lovers, husbands and ex-husbands, mothers, and children in relationships where old rules do not apply and new rules have not yet been set.

Thompson’s characters live in a world where dreams often supersede reality and things are not as they seem. Her style is sophisticated and subtle, and we experience her stories almost by osmosis. They stay with us afterwards to question their own realities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780820340821
Publisher:	University of Georgia Press
Publication date:	10/01/2011
Series:	Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction Series , #35
Pages:	116
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.28(d)

About the Author

SANDRA THOMPSON is a native of Chicago and a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and Brooklyn College, where she received her MFA. She lives in Tampa, Florida.

SANDRA THOMPSON is a native of Chicago and a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and Brooklyn College, where she received her MFA. She lives in Tampa, Florida.

Table of Contents

One

Horror Show 3
Close-Ups 10
Notes 18
L.A. 31
Ashes 49

Two

The Baby in Mid-Air 59
Snow 64
Mother's Day 70
Memoir, Cut Short 79
Montauk 84
The Birthday Party 94
The Don 99

Editorial Reviews

Rare and wonderful . . . In the merciless glare of L.A. hip or N.Y. trendy, Thompson’s women cast a cold eye, hesitate, hold their noses, and take the plunge.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A deft and vivid account of the emotional stages in a woman’s life . . . All in all, a strong, sometimes devastating but ultimately hopeful collection by an exciting and gifted writer.

The Nation

Deftly crafted and emotionally charged . . . Sandra Thompson eloquently captures the fears and doubts of being an independent woman in the eighties.

West Coast Review of Books

‘Ashes,’ a daughter’s story of her dying mother, is the little masterpiece of the group, lovely in its grief and guaranteed to show up in future anthologies.

Charlotte Observer

Stunning wit and sparkle . . . Thompson’s prose is tight and resonant; her view of the world is ironic and full of feeling.

Washington Book Review

‘Ashes,’ a daughter’s story of her dying mother, is the little masterpiece of the group, lovely in its grief and guaranteed to show up in future anthologies.

Charlotte Observer

“A deft and vivid account of the emotional stages in a woman’s life . . . All in all, a strong, sometimes devastating but ultimately hopeful collection by an exciting and gifted writer.”—The Nation

“Haunting and understated . . . These stories explore the failures of love–erotic and filial–with a sure spareness that’s reminiscent of Ann Beattie.”—Publishers Weekly

“Stunning wit and sparkle . . . Thompson’s prose is tight and resonant; her view of the world is ironic and full of feeling.”—Washington Book Review

“An undeniably talented writer.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Rare and wonderful . . . In the merciless glare of L.A. hip or N.Y. trendy, Thompson’s women cast a cold eye, hesitate, hold their noses, and take the plunge.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“‘Ashes,’ a daughter’s story of her dying mother, is the little masterpiece of the group, lovely in its grief and guaranteed to show up in future anthologies.”—Charlotte Observer

“Deftly crafted and emotionally charged . . . Sandra Thompson eloquently captures the fears and doubts of being an independent woman in the eighties.”—West Coast Review of Books

From the Publisher