In an Uncharted Country
by Clifford Garstang 
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Description
The award-winning stories that make up this linked collection showcase ordinary men and women in and around Rugglesville, Virginia, as they struggle to find places and identities in their families and the community. They experience natural disasters, a sun-worshipping cult, Vietnam flashbacks, kidnapping, addiction, and loss. The book's opening story, "Flood, 1978," follows Hank, who comes to understand his father's deep sense of grief over the death of his wife. Later, in "Hand-painted show more Angel," Hank's sons see the family spinning apart as their father ages and family secrets are disclosed. In "The Clattering of Bones," Walt mourns the collapse of his marriage after the loss of a child, but in the collection's title story he recognizes his emotional need for family. The concluding story, "Red Peony," unifies the collection, as many of the book's characters come together for a tumultuous 4th of July Celebration. show lessTags
Member Reviews
I could easily take each story and sing its praises. Whether you live in rural Alabama or in rural Uzbekistan, you’ll recognize the plot lines, the characters, the conflicts. They don’t end. They never end. The only variation in this theme of grief is how one tells it.
A matryoshka is a Russian objet d’art. At the same time, it’s a tinker toy for tots. Is there a larger metaphorical value to a matryoshka? If there is one, I suspect that tots will discover it only by manipulating the layers. And so it is with Clifford Garstang’s stories. They don’t reveal themselves at first glance.
I’d like to focus on just one story for purposes of this review: “Saving Melissa.” Believe me: this single story will justify your show more purchase.
If the sadness resulting from ignorance could be captured in a title, “Saving Melissa” would be it. Clifford no doubt tells this story from his imagination. And yet, one can’t simply conjure up a story like “Saving Melissa” out of nothingness.
Melissa, at some level, is every woman. Melissa is every woman in miniature – just like the doll within a doll within a doll of a Russian matryoshka.
I’ll leave it at that. Saying anything more would spoil the prize. show less
A matryoshka is a Russian objet d’art. At the same time, it’s a tinker toy for tots. Is there a larger metaphorical value to a matryoshka? If there is one, I suspect that tots will discover it only by manipulating the layers. And so it is with Clifford Garstang’s stories. They don’t reveal themselves at first glance.
I’d like to focus on just one story for purposes of this review: “Saving Melissa.” Believe me: this single story will justify your show more purchase.
If the sadness resulting from ignorance could be captured in a title, “Saving Melissa” would be it. Clifford no doubt tells this story from his imagination. And yet, one can’t simply conjure up a story like “Saving Melissa” out of nothingness.
Melissa, at some level, is every woman. Melissa is every woman in miniature – just like the doll within a doll within a doll of a Russian matryoshka.
I’ll leave it at that. Saying anything more would spoil the prize. show less
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6 Works 66 Members
Clifford Garstang is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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- Members
- 18
- Popularity
- 1,387,650
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.67)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 1
- ASINs
- 1
