From Library Journal
Obsession, jealousy, and thoughts of death are the essence of this surrealistic short story collection by Brown ( The Terrible Girls , City Lights, 1992). In the title story, "Annie," a young girl is obsessed with Annie Oakley and everything Western, but obsession turns to disappointment when Annie Oakley arrives in the big city to promote Western fashions. In "Folie a Deux," a couple becomes blind and deaf to share each other's senses and isolate themselves from the outside world. This experiment creates a dependency that destroys their relationship. "A Good Man" is the moving story of a young man dying of AIDS and his friendship with a woman who will not desert him during his illness. In "The Death of Napoleon," a woman becomes obsessed with the image of killing Napoleon, who is really a symbol for the lover she distrusts. Recommended for public libraries.
- Stephanie Furtsch, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Rebecca Brown is the author of a dozen books of prose including THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, THE END OF YOUTH, THE DOGS, THE TERRIBLE GIRLS (City Lights) and THE GIFTS OF THE BODY (HarperCollins). She recently co-edited, with Mary Jane Knecht, an anthology of writers' responses to work at the Frye Art Museum.