Where The Light Falls: Selected Stories Of Nancy Hale

Description

Lauren Groff invites a new generation of readers to rediscover the haunting stories of a neglected mid-century master A prolific writer whose long association with The New Yorker rivaled that of her contemporary John Cheever, Nancy Hale was considered one of the preeminent short story artists of her era. But few readers today will recognize her name. Acclaimed author Lauren Groff has selected twenty-five of Hale's best stories, presented here in the first career-spanning edition of this astonishingly gifted writer's work. These stories seem ahead of their time in their depiction of women--complicated characters, sometimes fragile, possibly wicked, often remarkable in their apparent ordinariness, from an adolescent girl in Connecticut driven into delirium over her burgeoning sexuality in "Midsummer," to a twenty-something New Yorker experiencing culture shock during a visit to a friend's house in Virginia in "That Woman," to a New England widow in search of alcohol while babysitting her grandson in "Flotsam." Haunting, vivid, and subversive in the best sense, Where the Light Falls is nothing less than a major literary rediscovery.

Nancy Hale (1908-1988) was born in Boston to a distinguished New England family whose forbearers include Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale and Harriet Beecher Stowe. She was the author of eight novels, including the bestselling The Prodigal Women, four short story collections, two memoirs, two plays, children's stories, and a biography on Mary Cassatt. The winner of ten O. Henry Awards, Hale published over two hundred stories and essays, eighty of which appeared in The New Yorker, making her one of the most important contributors in the history of the magazine.

"A great rediscovery. . . . Recalling writers such as Virginia Woolf and John Cheever, Hale's stories tackle an array of topics from unwanted pregnancy to the fear of nuclear weapons." -JOHN POWERS, NPR's FRESH AIR "If Nancy Hale can be forgotten, what hope is there for any of us." -MAUREEN CORRIGAN, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL "Hale's elegant, polished prose style and impeccable handling of pace and structure can be deceptive, for on the inside her stories are raw, honest and often uncomfortable. Everyone, she suggests, has a secret. . . .In the stealthily hard-hitting narratives selected for Where the Light Falls, we find haunting, chilling, sometimes uplifting illustrations of Hale's ability to shine a light into obscure places." -Times Literary Supplement "Hale is our next Lucia Berlin. . . . In these 25 arresting stories, [she] writes about complex women who live quiet lives of confusion and desperation, locating the hugeness of human feeling with the minutiae of domestic life. Perceptive and luscious, these stories are unmissable." -ESQUIRE ("The Best Fall Books of 2019") "I had no idea about Nancy Hale. . . . [She] is simply a force, a steelier Scott Fitzgerald who wrote sex-haunted stories about the interior lives of upper-class women in such a calm, detached voice so sharp it's only later you understand how deep she drew her razor. . . . It is as though a new continent, teeming with strange life and color, has been discovered. We need to explore it." -PHILIP MARTIN, ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT GAZETTE "In a just world, Nancy Hale would need no introduction. Her name would be soaked into the American book consciousness as thoroughly as those of her contemporaries F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. . . . . [Her stories are] often, like paintings, studies in emotion, and as with paintings the intensity of feeling can sometimes sneak up on you, hours or even days later." -GARDEN & GUN "Every sentence pulses with energy and specificity. . . . Hale's stories are rich, delightful, and often strange. And they nearly always end abruptly, as if on an inhale, preparing you for whatever comes next." -THE PARIS REVIEW (Staff Pick) "A stunning, crystalline collection. . . . Hale writes with a crisp realism that is almost deceptive in its simplicity; the power of her prose sneaks up on you." -VOGUE ("The 17 Books We Can't Wait to Read This Fall") "Skillfully introduced and selected by Lauren Groff, . . . Hale's insightful, artfully constructed stories remain irresistible-and relevant-today." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (Starred Review) "A welcome reintroduction. . . . Hale's prose is elegant without calling attention to itself, like the well-cut dresses one is sure her female characters wear. . . . Classic examples of the art of short fiction, capturing the variety of human experience with sophisticated economy." -KIRKUS REVIEWS (Starred Review) "Nancy Hale's touch was so precise and delicate that you might think you're reading undiscovered Edith Wharton stories. Seen anew in Lauren Groff's excellent selection, these stories are very much of-the-moment. What an exhilarating book!" -ANN BEATTIE, author of A Wonderful Stroke of Luck "It is a joy to read Nancy Hale this way-in a sharp collected volume that shows the best of this masterful writer's stories and range. Hale's eye for detail imbues her depictions of everyday life with quiet devastation and complex humanity. Hale belongs in the canon of short fiction, which makes this work an overdue treasure." -MEGAN MAYHEW BERGMAN, author of Almost Famous Women "It's crazy that Nancy Hale-one of the most decorated short story writers of her time-is largely unknown to contemporary readers. This collection will remedy that." -DAN CHAON, author of Ill Will "A towering talent is returned to the spotlight. Treat yourself to this collection of Hale's best short stories about ordinary women coping with the strains of their demanding lives." -JESSICA DUKES, Celadon Books