The Verdigris Stories - by Mariana Sabino (Paperback)

About the Book

In these and the other stories, lives separate and intersect; arrivals and departures become catalysts for change.

Book Synopsis

In The Verdigris Stories, the conditions of impermanence and interaction usher us into the world of the collection. The tone of these eleven stories shifts from lyricism to absurdity, conjuring the characters' changing environments and interior lives. For some, the past is in pursuit, nipping at their heels; for others, present possibilities hold sway. In either case a sense of dislocation, either by choice or circumstance, is intrinsic to their lives as perpetual wanderers or outsiders.

Among the wanderers we meet a bereaved lover on her return to a village in Brazil; a pair of estranged sisters warily reuniting in Prague; and a peculiar woman hosting ghosts in her home. In these and the other stories, lives separate and intersect; arrivals and departures become catalysts for change.

Review Quotes

"Mariana Sabino is an enormously gifted writer with immense insight into the complexity

of her characters' lives. Each gem of a story in her debut collection brings us into a

fascinating world of travelers, misfits, and characters otherwise marginalized

within their communities. The Verdigris Stories, quite simply, cause for celebration."

-Helen Fremont, author of The Escape Artist and the national bestseller After Long Silence

"There's an immediacy to these stories that sucked me right in, an abundance of sense,

color, and feeling that reflects both the untamed landscapes of Sabino's settings and her

characters themselves-travelers, expats, and repatriates-who are consumed by wanderlust, coping with loss, and in search of that elusive location called home. A remarkable book."

Adam Wilson, author of Sensation Machines

"Mariana Sabino is a gifted and sophisticated writer, moving easily between lyricism and realism--with a touch of the surreal-and evokes cities and atmospheres in far-flung places on the globe. This original collection is a treat."

- Lynne Sharon Schwartz, author of Truthtelling and Disturbances in the Field

"The Verdigris Stories convinces me that Mariana Sabino has lived a thousand lives. Her writing is at once expansive and intimate. With nuanced understanding and unwavering respect, she illuminates international journeys and characters who reach across social divides. This is my favorite kind of writing. It invites us to read and reread whenever the world feels too small."

- Davin Malasarn, co-founder of the Granum Foundation

"Again and again Sabino surprises us with profound stories of place with the zing of

a different current. Brilliant vignettes convey the heartbreak and mystery of daily life."

Susan Wooldridge, author of poemcrazy: freeing your life with words

"The Verdigris Stories explores, with patience and insight, the tenderness born of wanderlust,

of stretching oneself across time and space. A beautiful and engrossing debut."

Derek Palacio, author of The Mortifications