Here in the World

Victoria Lancelotta is an exquisite writer. The thirteen stories in this collection are woven by powerful prose and a keen detail to depth, emotion, and place. The stories are engaging and strike the reader in the dead center of the chest. The characters never falter and Lancelotta brings us into a world where the mundane is beautiful and the taboo is extraordinary.

Sex, sin and redemption lie at the heart of Lancelotta's disturbing short stories of women who live in a world different from others. These are flawed characters: women who experience the world differently and examine it with a sordid eye. Her dark stories are striking accounts, and hard to put down.

I'm a Roman Catholic who accidentally grew up in the south. The Baptists would swing by our neighborhood in their buses labeled Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They'd knock on my door and, upon seeing my Catholic schoolboy outfit, would tell me I was going to hell. And I liked the sensation. This is probably why I like Victoria Lancelotta's book so much.It's been said that there are two types of Catholic -- devout and fallen. Perhaps Victoria Lancelotta makes up a third category, someone who lingers inbetween.In these stories we find that here, down below Heaven, we taste of suffering drop by greasy drop. Men look into your makeup-coated face, but God looks into your heart -- even in a smoky bar. Men see and smell and touch your body, but God sees your intention. Your fundiment is hidden from sight, but is of the first importance. The great inner struggle is fought during times of darkness, and suffering. A pure life is just beyond our reach -- we heard it slip past, tip-toeing down the stairs, maybe going to that loud party down the street -- but now it's gone, replaced by vague regret.Note to Catholics: Buy now, and you may receive a Plenary Indulgence. Let's say three years.