Posing Nude for the Saints: Stories
“Irises” is a short story about family secrets and loss, following a woman as she deepens her understanding of herself inside a shifting web of relationships. As part of Posing Nude for the Saints, it stands out for its restrained prose.
Work Information
A family secret quietly reshapes a life.
Within the collection, the story is set mainly in east Tennessee and finds faint signs of recovery inside damaged relationships.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Texas Review Pr
- Published
- 2019-06-18
- Pages
- 145 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 13.21 x 1.52 x 21.34 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9781680031805
- ISBN-10
- 1680031805
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Short Stories/Single Author
In the opening story of Posing Nude for the Saints , the daughter of a prostitute falls in love with a Mennonite and finds herself torn between two worlds. &;Vincent&; spotlights a young husband who comes to terms with his wife&;s terminal cancer, confronting his own helplessness and terror. The title story follows a divorcee who responds to a Craigslist ad for boudoir photography and finds more than what she bargained for. In &;Food for the Gods,&; a widow shops for a last supper for herself and her unborn child; in &;Passion Play,&; a cynical lawyer has a chance to save a life. The central character in &;Almost a Wolf&; does quiet battle with a rural pastor who&;s made a critical mistake. In &;Citizens,&; two runaway children escape a violent home and live happily in an abandoned camper until the real world intervenes. In &;Irises,&; a woman in crisis learns her mother&;s deepest secret, and in &;Burn,&; a family of five vacations in a wild landscape that foreshadows their collapse. Set primarily in rural east Tennessee, the stories in Posing Nude for the Saints portray men and women whose souls are all exposed, and for whom redemption is yet possible.
ELIZABETH GENOVISE is a graduate of the MFA program at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She is the author of two collections of short stories, A Different Harbor and Where There Are Two or More , as well as a chapbook, The Stone Pear . Her fiction has appeared in the O. Henry Prize anthology of 2016 and in dozens of literary journals. Currently she teaches creative writing, literature, and composition, and also works as a private writing coach for aspiring authors.
Reviews
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Elizabeth Genovise is the best short story author in America today
Ms. Genovise will probably draw comparisons to Flannery O'Connor because of the deep spirituality of her stories, but the styles are different. The story "Irises" is the best short story I have ever read, bar none. Ms. Genovise is enormously talented. Her stories hit all the deep, hidden places in the human spirit. She must be read.
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Translations of the heart
When I read Steve Yates' review above-- before reading the stories-- I thought "this guy must be on crack or a master of hyperbole". After reading the stories, I understand and agree. This is a beautiful collection that ranks among the best I've ever read. I won't forget the name Elizabeth Genovise, and you shouldn't either if you're a lover of short fiction. More, please.
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Tenderness is at the heart of this collection
Genovise's new collection of short stories is both tragic and tender. These stories are about people living hard lives and dealing with loss and much more. In a less capable writer's hands, these stories would be sad, but with Genovise's deftness she transports us to places we know we are meant to see.
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Exquisite Read
It's beautiful. Buy the book. It'll say the rest.
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Great Stories
Genovise has a way of telling stories like no other. Vincent and Citizens are amazing, touching stories.
Related Literary Awards
- O. Henry Award Edition 95 (2016) ・Winner