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From the acclaimed author of Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage and the memoir W-3, a trio of novellas about three women’s bold exploration of the desire for belonging as it comes into conflict with the fulfillment of our individual selves. With an introduction by Rumaan Alam.
Over the past several years, A Public Space has brought the work of Bette Howland back into print. First published in 1983, Things to Come and Go is her final book, and a showcase of her stunning talent—the razor-sharp observations, the elusive narrators, the language at once experimental and classical.
Nearly forty years later, it’s writing that “feel[s] revelatory and imperative to the work we might all be trying to make next” (Lynn Steger Strong).
Another unburied treasure, with Howland’s glimmering talent again on full display. Each story showcases the author’s intelligence, insightfulness, and incomparable eye for illuminating detail and ear for captivating dialogue…This rediscovered collection feels as clear and colorful as if it had been written today.
—Kirkus starred review
Exuberantly voice-y short stories.
—Marion Winik, Washington Post
A writer of unusual talent, power and intelligence…. Stunning power and beauty abound in this book.
—Johanna Kaplan, New York Times
There is being seen, and then there is seeing. There is no seeing like Bette Howland's. On every page, catching the narrator's every glance, are observations rich in detail and delight—honest, acerbic, alert, and always dazzling in their inventiveness and wry, hard-edged wisdom.
—Amitava Kumar
Style is a great preservative in literature and the quality that Bette Howland’s… writing possess[es] in abundance, and the reason [her] work has proved worth preserving.
—Joseph Epstein, Commentary
Rumaan Alam is the author of Rich and Pretty, That Kind of Mother, and Leave the World Behind. He lives in New York City.