Aliens of Affection: Stories

A New York Times Notable Book: The idiosyncratic genius of Padgett Powell shines through in nine stories that bend the conventions of short fiction.

Padgett Powell's literary stage is a blurred vision of the American South. His characters are bored, sad, assured, confused, deluded, and often just one step away from madness. The stories they populate are madder still, delivered by a voice enthralling and distinctive.

Whether he's chronicling a housewife's encouragement of adolescent lust, fo...