In the Bedroom - (Vintage Contemporaries) by Andre Dubus (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The seven stories collected here-including "Killings," the basis for Todd Field's award-winning film In the Bedroom-showcase legendary writer Andre Dubus's sheer narrative mastery in a book of quietly staggering emotional power.

A father in mourning contemplates the unthinkable as the only way to allay his grief. A boy must learn to care for his younger brother when their mother leaves the family. A young woman who has never lacked lovers despairs of ever finding love itself, and then makes an accidental discovery that brings her real joy. Culled from Dubus's treasured collections Selected Stories and Dancing After Hours, these beautiful stories of people at pivotal moments in their lives are some of the most bewitching and profound in American fiction.

Review Quotes

"Dubus is the sort of writer who instructs the heart." -The Atlantic Monthy

"It is a rare thing to admire an artist from a distance and upon meeting him not be disillusioned. After meeting Andre my admiration for his courage, talent, and humanity grew tenfold. . . . If you have never read him, get ready-you will never be the same again." -Todd Field, from the Preface

"The lives of his characters become part of any close reader's permanent bank of important memories." -The Boston Globe

"Like Chekhov's, Dubus's best stories contain the arc of a whole life in the language of specific moments." -The Village Voice

About the Author

The author of nine works of fiction, ANDRE DUBUS received the PEN/Malamud Award, the Rea Award for excellence in short fiction, the Jean Stein Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Boston Globe's first annual Lawrence L. Winship Award, and fellowships from both the Guggenheim and MacArthur foundations. Until his death in 1999, he lived in Haverhill, Massachusetts.