"Caroline is watchful and sincere, shy yet earnest. She seldom speaks, and when she does her lips scarcely part, so that sometimes Lewis must listen closely to distinguish her voice from the cycling of her breath. Her eyes are a miracle - a startled blue with frail green spikes bound by a ring of black - and he is certain that if he could draw his reflection from them, he would discover there a face neither foreign nor lost. Caroline sleeps face down, her knees curled to her chest: she sleeps often and with no sheets or blankets. Her hair is brown, her skin pale. Her smile is vibrant but brief, like a bubble that lasts only as long as the air is still. She is eighteen months old." Kevin Brockmeier draws the listener in with poetic prose that paints a picture of beauty and purity, and becomes a part of a love story that tests the boundaries of morality without ever quite crossing them. Lewis Winters, a thirty-four year-old writer of fairy tales, recounts his short-lived relationship with Caroline Mitchell, and the anguish of having to let go without getting to say good-bye.
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"This is one of the best short story collections I've read in a long while. It consists of eleven delicious gems that are part fairy tale, part science fiction, and 100% engrossing. Brockmeier has a wonderful way with words, and his imagination is remarkable. Each story combines the absolutely commonplace with the absolutely mind-bending in a way that makes it quite easy to accept the unlikely circumstances of the plots. I would highly recommend this one to lovers of the short-story genre." — Bill (5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of the best short story collections I've read in a long while. It consists of eleven delicious gems that are part fairy tale, part science fiction, and 100% engrossing. Brockmeier has a wonderful way with words, and his imagination is remarkable. Each story combines the absolutely commonplace with the absolutely mind-bending in a way that makes it quite easy to accept the unlikely circumstances of the plots. I would highly recommend this one to lovers of the short-story genre."
" Loved it. And btw - loved the Rumplstilstkin thing! "
" It's not as even or sustained as some of Brockmeier's later books but some of the stories are imaginatively constructed. "
" These stories are extremely cerebral, and still manage to feel fragile. My personal favorite is The House at the End of the World. "
" Read my review on iwilldare.com "
" exceptional book - this is the kind of fiction i wish i could write. "
" Dark and lovely, like I like them. "
" As far as coherence of stories in a collection, this is right up there with Jesus' Son, by Denis Johnson. And one story, 'The Passenger', is downright brilliant. Definitely worth reading. "
" Kevin Brockmeier's first book... a splendid collection of short stories. I am proud to say that a fictionalized version of me appears in the title story, being impaled by a pipe from the great beyond. A great intro to this fine young novelist! "
" Had become one of my favorite-ever short story collections before I was even done reading it. The first-kiss scene in "Apples" sent me head over heels. "
" Brockmeier writes like I wish I could. Maybe I need to wish harder. "
" there's a really heartbreaking story i still think about all the time called "the half-life of rumpelstilskin." all the time... "
" About half of the stories worked for me. Some of the others were just a little too out there for me and I just could figure out if there was a point or even a story to tell. "
" This was the most charming collection of short stories I've ever read. I fell in love with it. "
" One of my favorite collections of short stories of all time. Sometimes I just buy this book when I see it in a bookstore because I think one day I can make someone very happy by giving it to them. "
" Great stories inspired by fairy tales. Personal favorite: "A Day in the Life of One-Half of Rumpelstiltskin." "
Kevin Brockmeier is the author of The Truth about Celia, Things That Fall from the Sky, and multiple children’s novels. His stories have appeared in many publications, including the New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Georgia Review, The Best American Short Stories, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, and multiple editions of the O. Henry Prize Stories anthology. He is the recipient of the Nelson Algren Award, Italo Calvino Short Fiction Award, James Michener–Paul Engle Fellowship, three O. Henry Awards, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He has taught at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.
André Sogliuzzo has been working in the Los Angeles region for the past fifteen years as a voice actor. He has provided voices for countless characters in movies, animated programs, and video games, though he has also had some appearing roles in several movies. André’s area of expertise is the wide array of accents that he can provide for various characters, which has permitted him to work with some of the best voice actors and actresses in the country.
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