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– April 27, 2012
Debra Spark’s The Pretty Girl consists of the title novella and six short stories, all bold and surprising, all slyly humorous, all resonant with deep multi-generational wisdom.The novella is basically a mystery story about a painting that hangs in the home of an aging great-aunt, and its place in the family. It’s also about a lot else, including the deep pleasures and occasional exasperations of sisterly love, end-of-life issues that threaten to rupture a family, a passionate love affair, an unexpected pregnancy.
The six short stories vary widely in subject matter: a brilliant graphic novelist’s tragic descent into madness, an unhappily married couple’s reconnection with a bizarre friend. In “A Wedding Story,” the final piece, we meet the irrepressible five-inch Simon Baal Shem who, as young Rachel Rubenstein sadly dismantles the contents of her grandmother’s apartment after her recent death, offers up cogent life lessons through his wealth of Jewish folk tales.
The six short stories vary widely in subject matter: a brilliant graphic novelist’s tragic descent into madness, an unhappily married couple’s reconnection with a bizarre friend. In “A Wedding Story,” the final piece, we meet the irrepressible five-inch Simon Baal Shem who, as young Rachel Rubenstein sadly dismantles the contents of her grandmother’s apartment after her recent death, offers up cogent life lessons through his wealth of Jewish folk tales.
Read Debra Spark’s Posts for the Visiting Scribe
Judith Felsenfeld book of short fiction, Blaustein’s Kiss, was published in April, 2014. Her stories have appeared in numerous magazines and literary reviews, including The Chicago Review, The Southwest Review, Blue Mesa, and broadcast nationwide on NPR’s Selected Shorts.
