To feel lost in life and lost in the world is a natural result of a traumatic, life-altering event. With no one to talk to, but lost in thought instead, the meaning of home is questioned, challenged, and found. Out of all the things to start this chain of thought processes stands a hermit crab, looking for an empty shell to claim. It is observed, loved, and the catalyst to the healing journey. What is home? Driven by this question at its core, this reflective tale explores what it means to feel at home in a place, as well as in your own body.
Comprising a collection of short stories that mirror each other, this book delves into the essence of the small things that make us human. How do we perceive one another, if we do so at all, and what does it truly take to understand the perspectives of others? What are the roots, relationships, or individuals that we cling to for sustenance? And how do we behave when there is nothing left to cling to? So, take a moment to enjoy gazing into the very mirror that's placed right in front of you. But be warned, it's no fun.
A musician's life is upturned when a letter arrives at his doorstep. As the story unravels, a whole family shifts its dymanics and drama unsues. Daughters, wives and exwives, and all the women in his life get a say.
"The Etymology of Praying to the Porcelain Gods" refers to those moments when we are intoxicated and at our most vulnerable-hunched over a toilet, spewing out the remnants of our stomach's contents, and desperately hoping, almost dying, really, for a higher power to save us. This book is just that: a collection of poems that yearn for art, for fragility itself, to serve as a form of salvation during our adolescent years. Cheers to girlhood, liminality, and the diaspora experience.
What really is life about? Well this book sure will not answer you that question but yes it's a valid one. But who am I to know. There is so much, so many different lives, lifestyles or fates. This is exactly everything that is in this book. Suicide to butterflies. We all see the world different, have individual battles to fight. Maya, Chris or Amanda all have different lives and just one thing in common: All of their stories deserve to be told.
A collection of twenty-three short stories from around the world includes contributions by such authors as Nigeria's Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, India's Lucinda Nelson Dhavan, and Botswana's Lauri Kubuitsile.
The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.
