The King of Limbo

In stories that move deftly from the magical to the mundane, the simple to the surreal, The King of Limbo showcases a mature talent that calls to mind such greats as Alice Munro and Andre Dubus. Here are drifters, waitresses, horse trainers, housewives, a Nigerian foreign exchange student, a fisherman's wife, a cat with a cause. Blending magical realism and a pitch-perfect ear for the expressions of the human heart, Adrianne Harun presents a cast of unforgettable characters caught in limbo between their reality and their dreams.
Set in locales as diverse as a fictional town on the Northwest coast and a Connecticut boarding school, these stories chart physical and emotional landscapes with equal precision and grace. Vacationers dawdle in souvenir shops. Locals quietly observe the superstitions of the sea. A woman, overcome by the loss of a child, runs her car into a Victorian house, only to be adopted by the house's elderly residents. A killer on the loose prompts a newlywed couple to employ a mannequin as a decoy for marital bliss.
Again and again Adrianne Harun displays a unique ability to view the world from a dazzling array of perspectives. The King of Limbo confirms the arrival of a writer to watch.

About the author

Adrianne Harun’s stories have appeared in numerous journals, including Story, where Harun won first place in the annual short-short competition. She has received a Nelson Algren Award from the Chicago Tribune and a MacDowell fellowship. Harun lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

Product details

• Authors: Adrianne Harun
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 17.09.2002
• EAN: 9780618257973
• ISBN: 978-0-618-25797-3
• No. of pages: 224
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 210 mm x 19 mm
• Weight: 236 g
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Thriller / suspense fiction, Narrative theme: Interior life, Family life fiction, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Magical Realism, Anthologies: general, FICTION: Literary, FICTION: Women, FICTION: Family Life / General, FICTION: Short Stories (single author), FICTION: Coming of Age, FICTION: Small Town & Rural *, FICTION: Magical Realism, FICTION: Anthologies (multiple authors), FICTION: Psychological, FICTION: Disaster