The grandmother was a bright, cellophanewrapped hard candy of a person. Elizabeth mccracken s short stories are like no others. Elizabeth mccracken wasnt born in texas, but we welcomed her as fast as we could. They are odd candidates for friendship, but they still find their lives entwined in ways that neither one could have predicted.
Elizabeth mccracken, property this story weaves a young womans death and the grief of her husband along with his new job of cataloging a collection of 1960s underground publications into a. Shes received grants and fellowships from the guggenheim foundation. The madcap setup the couple are dedicated pet lovers, so their house is busy with dogs, cats. Several of these episodes also serve as a reminder of what a masterful short story writer mccracken is. This short story collection is exactly what i expect in a short story collection.
Elizabeth mccracken wins story prize for thunderstruck. An exact replica of a figment of my imagination, the giants house, heres your hat whats your. Elizabeth mccracken knows how loss can melt reality, forever altering a persons sense of time. The giants house by elizabeth mccracken is the story of peggy corts obsessionsome might call it lovewith james sweatt, a young boy whose pituitary gland is out of sync, causing him to grow unnaturally until he is over 8 feet tall. Im an awardwinning short story writer and i dont know what im. Elizabeth mccrackens thunderstruck and other stories. Elizabeth mccracken delicately examines the effects grief and misfortune in her affecting new collection. Elizabeth mccracken is an american author of six books. Elizabeth mccracken the sunday times audible short story award. An earlier child died before birth, an experience which formed the basis for mccrackens memoir, an exact replica of a librarian note.
In an exact replica of a figment of my imagination, a deeply affecting memoir about the. The author elizabeth mccracken has won the annual story prize for short fiction for thunderstruck and other stories, her collection of tales about lifealtering experiences and loss. Her distinctive voice, her slightly askew manner of looking at the world, her mix of mordant humor and tenderness, her sense of lifes ironies, and the jolt of electricity at the end of each tale make her work arresting and memorable. She is married to the novelist edward carey, with whom she has two children august george carey harvey and matilda libby mary harvey. Elizabeth mccrackens bowlaway spins a dark, magical tale of love, loss and bowling the austin author is mostly concerned with pain. Her short story, hungry, was longlisted for the 2015 sunday times efg private bank short story award, the richest prize in the world for a single short. Elizabeth mccracken contemplates short stories upon the reissue of her first collection. Elizabeth mccracken set in a small town on cape cod in 1950, this tells of the relationship between peggy cort, a 28yearold librarian, and james carlson sweatt, an overtall 11yearold. Elizabeth mccracken explores grief in thunderstruck.
Elizabeth mccracken born 1966 is an american author. She is a young librarian who lives near cape cod in the early 1950s. The author of two shortstory collections, a memoir, and two novels, mccracken has been a finalist for the. The giants house by elizabeth mccracken is narrated by the character peggy cort. Paul harding, the wall street journal mccrackens short stories are like no others. In a colorful, melancholy story called the house of two threelegged dogs, mccracken introduces us to a financially imperiled english family eking out a drunken, bohemian existence in a former juvenile detention home.
Her second fiction story collection is a stunningly beautiful rumination on loss. Elizabeth mccracken, rivka galchen and lydia davis. Her collection of short stories, heres your hat, whats your hurry. Coming february 5th, from ecco stellar mccracken writes with a natural lyricism that sports vivid imagery and delightful turns of phrase. Thunderstruck and other stories by elizabeth mccracken. Elizabeth mccrackens story of stunning loss and grief is also a moving and affirming story of love.
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