A Private State: Stories - Tapa dura

"Bacon's collection of finely wrought stories examines the human condition with rare power. Here is the debut of an author who can look at the state we're in with both a clear, cold eye and extreme warmth and tenderness. As understated as it is elegant, this collection gives us stories about love and luck, sorrow and safety--marriages fall apart, bargains are struck, people are lost as often as they are found. Whether set in Arizona or New Hampshire or Maryland, it is emotional territory charted here--a personal state of mind. Accomplished and complex, A Private State marks the arrival of a writer who will surely continue to chart new territory with honesty and grace." In this "delicate, well-honed first collection of stories, Bacon sends II unsettled women in search of 'an authentic place' where they can feel vibrant and assured." "From page one, it is clear the reader is in the hands of a brilliant and confident writer, equal parts talent and skill. Bacon's precise understatement is an art, never bloodless or sentimental. Things happen quickly; pay attention or miss a gem.... Reading this book is like being a child picking through a wonderful toy box." "A consistent, sure voice and recurring images (uncontrolled dogs, uncommunicative sisters, unhinged minds, unorthodox Thanksgivings) unite these II stories, which range more freely across geography than across thematic boundaries. Most are coming-of-age tales.... The loops of meaning coil from story to story, creating a memorable whole that transcends the sum of its parts." "Her stories are witty, swift, beautifully crafted, and grounded in emotional reality." "Bacon writes with grace and wit, and an appreciation for the magic of language. She also possesses the accomplished writer's remarkable blend of control and daring, and isn't afraid to surprise her reader.... A Private State is impressive in every way, a splendid debut and a rare achievement."

Here is a collection of stories about women who have arrived at awkward edges in their lives. Some are adolescents, some at the brink of old age, and some find themselves suddenly ill or pregnant. Others come to the abrupt discovery that their marriages are not as whole as they had believed, while a few tumble onto startling secrets. But despite their range in age and situation, they all try to use their new knowledge to stitch together a fresh pattern by which to live. While most of the action unfolds along the East Coast - in Maryland, Maine, Boston, Philadelphia, New York - several of the women travel to Arizona, California, and Jamaica. Often the light is too bright in these glittery places and they wonder why they have come. Many seem to be searching for a sense of home, which one girl describes as a place that is "complete and full of longing all at once."