From Publishers Weekly
The two most successful stories of Crane's third collection (following All This Heavenly Glory) are also the most intimate: The Most Everything in the World listens in on a husband and wife playing the what-would-you-take-to-a-deserted-island game, while Donovan's Closet, about a girl with a fetish involving her boyfriend's lemon-scented closet, turns into an optimistic tale of a seemingly doomed relationship's survival. Other characters in Crane's lineup include a suburban zombie turned reality TV star (Betty the Zombie), a time-traveling photographer who gets arrested for being happy (the title story) and a handful of other victims and survivors of not-so-everyday life. Because of Crane's repetitive narration the book is best read piecemeal rather than straight through: I don't mean literally everything. Literally most things, but not everything. In Promise, a story about a woman waiting for the arrival of her adopted child, which closes the collection, Crane quips, I will feed you sugar. And that might as well be Crane's promise for the collection as a whole.
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Book Description
Whether breathlessly enthusiastic, serenely calm, or really concentrating right now on their personal zombie issues, Elizabeth Crane’s happy cast explores the complexities behind personal satisfaction.
Elizabeth Crane is the author of two previous story collections, When the Messenger is Hot and All This Heavenly Glory. Her work has also been featured in numerous publications, including Chicago Reader and The Believer, as well as several anthologies, including McSweeney’s Future Dictionary of America and The Best Underground Fiction. A winner of the Chicago Public Library’s 21st Century Award, Crane teaches creative writing at Northwestern’s School of Continuing Studies, The School of the Art Institute, and The University of Chicago. She lives in Chicago.
About the Author
Elizabeth Crane is the author of two previous story collections, When the Messenger is Hot and All This Heavenly Glory. Her work has also been featured in numerous publications including Other Voices, Nerve, The Chicago Reader, The Believer, as well as several anthologies, including McSweeney's Future Dictionary of America, The Best Underground Fiction, The Best Show of Their Lives.
