Title
Contents
Stealing trees -- The angel thomas -- Burning -- Self-defense -- First day -- Waiting -- Sophie's shirt -- The end of the crackhead -- Within the lighted city
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
1997
Series
John Simmons Short Fiction Award
Judge
Ann Beattie
Award Date
1997
Publisher
University of Iowa Press
Place
Iowa City
Total Pages
97
ISBN
9780877456117
Abstract
Lisa Lenzo's stories explore what happens when safe boundaries are crossed. Often impetuous or unintentional, these crossings-over are never taken with full knowledge—characters step or glide or slip into trouble, and occasionally they hold still as danger overtakes them. The result is the loss of lives, limbs, or simply the illusion of safety. Yet despite their trials, the characters in these stories come away with a sense of hope for what remains.
All of the characters in Within the Lighted City are Detroiters or former Detroiters, including a near-albino teenager, an angel, and the Zito family—Ralph and Rosie and their children, who first appear in the collection during the '67 riots. Their stories of confrontation, loss, love, humor, and joy are, in the words of Stuart Dybek, “unsentimental in their honesty and at the same time powerfully empathetic.” They are also beautifully told.
Keywords
Detroit, Mich.
Purchase the Print Book
Book available for purchase at University of Iowa Press.
Rights
Copyright © 1997 by Lisa Lenzo. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, without permission in writing from the publisher.
URL
http://ir.uiowa.edu/uipress_isfa/15