Description
WINNER OF THE 2015 FRANK O’CONNOR INTERNATIONAL SHORT STORY AWARD
From the orange desert of rural Australia to the snowy wastes of Siberia, from a Colorado jailhouse to a town square in northern England, Carys Davies’ characters traverse expanses of solitude: restless teenagers, middle-aged civil servants, and Quaker spinsters contend with domestic abuse, marital strife and a myriad of other challenges—revealing, through their struggles, the secrets of the human heart.
The seventeen stories in this lauded collection—written with prickly wit and punch, “as if Mark Twain and Annie Proulx had sat down at a desk together”—established Carys Davies among the strongest literary voices in Britain. Finally available in North America, The Redemption of Galen Pike introduces readers to an author destined for international acclaim.
PRAISE FOR THE REDEMPTION OF GALEN PIKE
“Like Chekhov’s great stories Davies’ stories are deceptively simple. They reward re-reading not by resolving the core mystery, but by revealing layers of meaning and complexity.”—Ladette Randolph, Ploughshares
“Completely stole my heart … might just be my favourite short story collection of all time”—Simon Savidge, Savidge Reads
“Davies’s stories plumb the depths of silence and estrangement, bringing up moments of extraordinary insight about what holds people together and what drives them apart.”—Laurie Greer, Politics & Prose Bookstore
“[The Redemption of Galen Pike] confirms beyond doubt [Davies’] position among the finest British exponents of a particularly challenging form.”—The Irish Examiner
“Delicate, magical … Precise but full of beautifully observed details that fill compact vignettes with incident and emotion.”—Daily Express
