Description
Book SynopsisThis collection of 11 finely wrought stories examines the human condition across geographic and thematic boundaries. They look at luck and love, sorrow and safety, marriages falling apart and bargains struck, all with a consistent, sure voice and a pattern of recurring images.
Trade ReviewBacon's collection of finely wrought stories examines the human condition with rare power. Here is the debut of an author who can look at the state we're in with both a clear, cold eye and extreme warmth and tenderness. As understated as it is elegant, this collection gives us stories about love and luck, sorrow and safety - marriages fall apart, bargains are struck, people are lost as often as they are found. Whether set in Arizona or New Hampshire or Maryland, it is emotional territory charted here - a personal state of mind. Accomplished and complex, A Private State marks the arrival of a writer who will surely continue to chart new territory with honesty and grace. - Citation of the judges for the Ernest Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award; ""A consistent, sure voice and recurring images (uncontrolled dogs, uncommunicative sisters, unhinged minds, unorthodox Thanksgivings) unite these II stories, which range more freely across geography than across thematic boundaries. Most are coming-of-age tales.... The loops of meaning coil from story to story, creating a memorable whole that transcends the sum of its parts."" - Publishers Weekly
