SAILING TO CORINTH

by Irene Wanner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1988

Wanner has won a Western States Book Award for this collection of 14 stories, which, despite the title, does indeed have a western sensibility--the stories are blunt and open, but tricky in their gentle demeanor. In truth, there's chaos lurking around every corner, heartbreak beyond every field of pick-your-own kiwi fruit. In ""You Are Here,"" Nora, a disillusioned young nurse, stands in her front yard with a neighbor child watching the first snowfall of the season, when, in an instant, an accident occurs, changing everything. And as ""snow still falls, covering the skid marks and broken glass and blood,"" Nora is forced to reconsider all her ideas about happiness. Chris, in the story ""The Red Balloon,"" begins the day eating oatmeal with her lover and, only hours later, is buried, alone, in an avalanche. ""My lungs were bursting. Blood pounded in my throat. My watch glowed in the dark."" Wanner has an exceptional ability to get the small details right. In places, her carefully considered prose has the energy of poetry. She tackles an impressive range of characters and situations in this collection--from domestic strife in the state of Washington to ugly tourists in a small Greek village. Where she stumbles at times is in the shaping of her stories, leading us from a fine little moment of epiphany to a wishy-washy ending. A few stories--including ""Having a Wonderful Time; Wish You Were Here"" and ""Small Town Don't Need to Mean Small Time""--are too self-conscious to ever get going. But the stories that deal with troubled marriages, notably ""Early Snow"" and ""Red Right Returning,"" are especially haunting and wonderful. When she remembers to shoot from the hip and aim for the heart, Wanner really can be a winner.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Owl Creek--dist. by Kampmann (9 East 40 St., New York, NY 10016)

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1988

Categories: FICTION