The Wives' Tale

by Alix Wilber, Andrew Himes (Editor)

Overview

Publisher's Weekly: A first novel packed with this much mesmerizing craziness is a rarity. A tale spanning four generations of the Dufore family of rural Esperance, Vt., Wilber's novel seems to have caromed off such influences as Twain, Vonnegut, Faulkner and even John Irving. Uncle Ab is doomed to burst into flames. Poor Davy is literally going soft and rotting like a piece of spoiled fruit. Bobby lives in dread of being hit by a meteor. Old Gran Marie hasn't slept in 70 years. Paul and his little son may have turned into trout. These idiosyncrasies form only a part of the patchwork heritage of the Dufore clan, and women who chose to marry a Dufore will have their hands full. Hilarity and horror overflow these pages in equal measure, sending out an intensely exuberant message that life goes on. This rich stew of a debut haunts and compels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466436428
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	10/13/2011
Pages:	250
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.57(d)

About the Author

Alix Wilber grew up in Schenectady, New York. She spent three years in Africa with the Peace Corps, and has lived and studied in Vermont. She now resides in Seattle, Washington. Visit her web site at www.alixwilber.com.

Editorial Reviews

A fine and daring first novel…Ms. Wilber is utterly convincing in her depictions of rural American life…The best characters in The Wives’ Tale are the tough-minded and enduring women…most memorable of all, though, is Marie, the great matriarch of the family. She is one of the most human and believable characters I’ve encountered in any recent fiction.

Howard Frank Mosher

This is wonderful stuff...moves back and forth through time, skillfully weaving together family myth and his­tory through much of the 20th century…the Dufores’ history has a cumulative emotional resonance that sweeps you up and delivers you, willingly, into their world.

Book Review Editor

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