Antarctica

This prize-winning debut collection of 15 stories by the acclaimed Irish author are ';among the finest contemporary stories written recently in English' (The Observer). The compassionate, witty, and unsettling short stories collected here announced Claire Keegan as one of Ireland's most exciting and versatile new talents and earned comparison to the works of Joyce Carol Oates, Alison Lurie, Raymond Carver, and others. From the titular story about a married woman who takes a trip to the city with a single purpose in mindto sleep with another manAntarctica draws readers into a world of obsession, betrayal, and fragile relationships. In ';Love in the Tall Grass,' Cordelia wakes on the last day of the twentieth century and sets off along the coast road to keep a date, with her lover, that has been nine years in the waiting. In ';Passport Soup,' Frank Corso mourns the curious disappearance of his nine-year-old daughter and tries desperately to reach out to his shattered wife who has gone mad with grief. Throughout the collection, Keegan's characters inhabit a world where dreams, memory, and chance can have crippling consequences for those involved. A Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2001, and recipient of the prestigious Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the William Trevor Prize, Antarctica is a rare and arresting debut. ';These stories are diamonds.' Emily Robichaud, Esquire ';A keen and unflinching observer, [Keegan] will appeal to fans of Roddy Doyle.' Publishers Weekly ';Readers should look forward to seeing her next book.' Booklist