by Joan Frank (Author)
Buzzfeed News, 15 Small Press Books To Kick Off Your 2020 Reading Season
The Millions, "February Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated"
Death looms in these four sparkling novellas--thus the book's sly title--but until then there's the wonder of life. Frank's subjects include fascinating friendships and complicated marriages, awful parties and odd enthusiasm. Bonus: song mentions that add up to a terrifically eclectic playlist." --Kim Hubbard, People Magazine
In her quartet of novellas, Joan Frank invites readers into the inner lives of characters bewildered by love, grief, and inexplicable affinities.
A young couple navigates a strange friendship and unexpected pregnancy; a woman recalls the bizarre fallout of her former lover's fame; a lonely widow is drawn to an arrogant young man; a wealthy spiritual seeker grapples with what wealth cannot affect. Witty and humane, Frank taps the riches of the novella form as she writes of loneliness, friendship, loss, and the filaments of intimacy that connect us through time.
Author Biography
Joan Frank is the author of seven books of literary fiction and a book of collected essays. Her last novel ALL THE NEWS I NEED, won the Juniper Prize for Fiction. Her book of essays, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO: A WRITING LIFE, won the Silver ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Award. A MacDowell Fellow and recipient of many honors, Joan also reviews literary fiction and nonfiction for the San Francisco Chronicle. She lives with her husband, playwright Bob Duxbury, in the North Bay Area of California.