The Wave
And other stories
Caren Gussoff(Author)
Serpent's Tail (Publisher)
Published on 26. June 2003
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-1-85242-459-6 (ISBN)
Description
The characters in Caren Gussoff?s stories live on the edge of society. They are fragile, easily bruised and lash out when threatened. A compulsive purse snatcher searches for the uniqueness of her self, and what makes her lovable; a recluse, dying of a mysterious illness, examines the triangle formed by her mother, her desires and the pursuit of pain; a younger sister unleashes brutal revenge when her virginity is traded for drugs. Caren Gussoff writes with rare insight and sympathy. The Wave confirms the promise of her standout debut novel, Homecoming.
Reviews / Votes
?These stories are terrific. Caren Gussoff documents the complicated lives of young women today ? the tawdry and the glossy, the painful and the sweet ? with panache. The long story, ?The Wave?, is a particularly compelling and truthful look at how other people, even those we most admire, are never quite who we want them to be? Kate Pullinger Praise for Homecoming ?Deals insightfully and unsentimentally with the issues the Jerry Springer show frequently airs, showing how seemingly normal families nourish the impulse for self-destruction? Scotland on Sunday ?A debut of rare talent, w ith this novel standing as a daring counter-cultural shot in the arm against the impending era of George Dubya?s moral majority? Big Issue in the North ?Caren Gussoff has written a novel as bruising and as bleak as anything by Denis Johnson. Homecoming is that good? The Crack ?A difficult and unsettling vision of love and life among the disaffected? FluxMore details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-85242-459-6 (9781852424596)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Caren Gussoff grew up in New York, and has an MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After stints as an apple cider press operator, phone sex actress, university instructor, and social worker to support her kickboxing and tattoo habits, she now organises online support groups for the chronically ill. She lives in Seattle with her pet rat and her ex-boyfriend's ex-mistress.