Mendocino Fire: Stories by Elizabeth Tallent

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

The long-awaited return of a writer of rare emotional wisdom

The son of an aging fisherman becomes ensnared in a violent incident that forces him to confront his broken relationship with his father. A woman travels halfway across the country to look for her ex-husband, only to find her attention drawn in a surprising direction. A millworker gives safe harbor to his son’s pregnant girlfriend, until an ambiguous gesture upsets their uneasy equilibrium. These and other stories—of yearning, loss, and tentative new connections—come together in Mendocino Fire, the first new collection in two decades from the widely admired Elizabeth Tallent.

Diverse in character and setting, rendered in an exhilarating, exacting prose, these stories confirm Tallent’s enduring gift for capturing relationships in moments of transformation: marriages breaking apart, people haunted by memories of old love and reaching haltingly toward new futures. The result is a book that reminds us how our lives are shaped by moments of fracture and fragmentation, by expectations met and thwarted, and by our never-ending quest to be genuinely seen.

Profound yet elemental, Mendocino Fire marks the welcome return of a sage and surprising voice in American fiction.

my thoughts:

I'm a huge fan of the short story.  In fact, I'm always on the hunt for new-to-me authors that are capable of packing quite a punch in such a short space.  Luckily for me, I've found Elizabeth Tallent's brilliant new book of short stories titled, Mendocino Fire.  Comprised of ten stories, this terrific book is filled with a fascinating cast of characters - each bent on surviving broken relationships and struggling with making sense of their lives.  Written in a beautiful and descriptive prose, these short stories are filled with emotion, relatable situations, and an honesty that is both captivating and refreshing.  Tallent delves into these characters' messy lives, their pain, and flaws with such raw intensity - its truly breathtaking at times. She explores humanity and our need for connection in such a compelling and vivid manner -  these stories thrum with life.  I'm serious! You can't help but feel these characters' need for some sort of link to some one or some thing.  Its utterly mesmerizing.  I found myself dipping in and out of these stories in an attempt to savor them.  I didn't want them to end.  I loved getting lost and entangled in Tallent's words.  The beauty of her writing is awe-inspiring.  I absolutely loved getting to know her writing through this book and can't wait to seek out more of it.  I love that I have found a new author to fall in love with. 

Mendocino Fire is a must read for fans of Tallent and fans of the short story - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tours schedule for: Mendocino Fire

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!