Book Overview
Between Camelots is about the struggle to forge relationships and the spaces that are left when that effort falls short. In the title story, a man at a backyard barbecue waits for a blind date who never shows up. He meets a stranger who advises him to give up the fight; to walk away from intimacy altogether and stop getting hurt. The wisdom--or foolhardiness--of that approach is at the heart of each of these stories. In "I'll Be Home," a young man who has converted to Judaism goes home for Christmas in Miami, and finds that his desire to connect to his parents conflicts with his need to move on. "The Movements of the Body" introduces us to a woman who believes that she can control the disintegration of her life through a carefully measured balance of whiskey and mouthwash. These are stories about loss and fear, but also about the courage that drives us all to continue to reach out to the people around us.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0822942682
ISBN13:9780822942689
Release Date:October 2005
Publisher:University of Pittsburgh Press
Length:168 Pages
Weight:0.80 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.8" x 8.4"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
Enjoyed reading this book and continue to think about it every day
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
A good friend who never leads me astray when it comes to good books recommended this book to me, and I'm so glad he did. I love the very short stories in this book. I loved reading them in between the less short stories. They feel very unlabored and they work. I love how the stories tell the funny little things that happen inside peoples' heads while they're connecting or disconnecting with someone or someplace, or the idea of someone or someplace. How physically intimate people can be and yet make no real connection at all. Being deprived of what you are used to, and trying to get used to the way things have or have not become. Many, though not all of the stories deal with life's disappointments, and at the same time they are infused with a reassuring sense of humor that makes them a pleasure to read. I savored every page.
Between Camelots
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
This first collection is sharply drawn, quietly knowing, and at times, laugh-out-loud funny. David Ebenbach writes from a kind and clear-eyed place. These stories, like many, address love and loss, connection and disconnection, but Ebenbach finds a way to steal into our hearts. Each moment is worth savoring.
Amazing
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Like the previous reviewer, I'm more likely to be reading mystery or fantasy than prize-winning 'serious' fiction. But I read through this in one sitting, every story getting me more engaged than the last. The author takes on perspectives that are different from my life, but in every story I see something of myself--a sentence, a feeling that resonates with me. This was a truly engaging read.
Wonderful -- Even for non-literary types
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Although the book is billed as a collection of literary fiction, and I have no doubt it fits that bill, this self-proclaimed lover of trashy mystery novels found it absolutely wonderful. The stories are quick reads but the language is so rich and evocative you feel like you must have read more pages than you did to feel as involved as you do. Fantastic. A perfect gift for all the loved ones in your life. (Not to mention all of the almost-loved ones you have just missed in your life.)
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