Paperback / softback
March 1, 2019
9780253041494
English
152
8.50 Inches (US)
5.50 Inches (US)
.45 Pounds (US)
$12.00 USD, £9.00 GBP
v2.1 Reference

Fierce Pretty Things

Stories

In these eight darkly comic stories, Tom Howard explores the instincts for violence and tenderness that mark his character's lives. A brother and sister wander the pier after a deadly plague destroys most of humanity. A high school bully struggles to overcome his demons. A man in the grips of dementia is visited by his children's ghosts. The people in these blistering tales grapple with past mistakes, trying to navigate their way toward redemption and resurrection and failing often—but always with a ferocious heart. Their unforgettable voices guide us through schoolyards, cemeteries, drive-in theaters, and the rich landscapes of their own imaginations.
Equal parts funny, tragic, and wise, Fierce Pretty Things is a striking debut that teaches us how to live in a world as cruel as it is beautiful.

About the Author

Tom Howard's stories have appeared in Ninth Letter, Indiana Review, Cincinnati Review, Willow Springs, Booth, and elsewhere, and have been awarded the Robert and Adele Schiff Award, the Tobias Wolff Award, the Masters Review Short Story Award, and the Indiana Review Fiction Prize. He holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and lives with his wife in Arlington, Virginia.

Reviews

"The stories in Howard's debut collection blend raw emotions with surreal forays into the supernatural and metaphysical. . . . Howard's fiction follows an unexpected logic, but at its best it achieves a deep emotional resonance. "—Kirkus Reviews

"Though not for the faint of heart, Howards stories depict his characters ruminations on abandonment, neglect, teen angst, and gun violence, making for an intense and effective collection."—Publishers Weekly

"The title of Tom Howard's collection says everything you need to know: these stories are fierce, and they are pretty (though I'd call them beautiful instead). These shards of life offer up a strange and gorgeous and mind-clearing punch, and I look forward to the career in words Howard has in store for us all."—Bret Lott, author of Letters and Life and Jewel

"Fierce Pretty Things won me over, fiercely, with characters who demonstrate unyielding love and pizzazz even as life comes at them hard. The collection features mostly young protagonists, but they exude ancient wisdom as they traverse the landscapes of boardwalks and school playgrounds and drive-in movie theaters and basement magic chests. Each sentence, tight and beautiful, reads like a proof of what powerful fiction can do. And the humor—my god!—when was the last time I laughed so unashamedly while reading a book?"—Samrat Upadhyay, author of Mad Country
Indiana University Press
Blue Light Books

9780253041494 : fierce-pretty-things-howard
Paperback / softback
152 Pages
$12.00 USD

Other Titles from Blue Light Books

In This World of Ultraviolet Light

Raul Palma
Mar 2023 - Indiana University Press
$18.00 USD - Paperback / softback

The J Girls

Rochelle Hurt
Mar 2022 - Indiana University Press
$14.00 USD - Paperback / softback

The Devil and the Dairy Princess

Pedro E. Ponce, Jr.
Oct 2021 - Indiana University Press
$17.00 USD - Paperback / softback

Other Titles in FICTION / Short Stories

The Complete Short Stories, Volume 1

Enid Dinnis, introduction by Julia Meszaros, Bonnie Lander Johnson
Aug 2023 - The Catholic University of America Press
$29.95 USD - Paperback / softback

This Is How You Start to Disappear

Astrid Blodgett
Aug 2023 - University of Alberta Press
$24.99 USD - Paperback / softback

Animal Truth and Other Stories

Sharona Muir
Nov 2022 - University of New Orleans Press
$18.95 USD - Paperback / softback

Other Titles in Short stories

The Complete Short Stories, Volume 1

Enid Dinnis, introduction by Julia Meszaros, Bonnie Lander Johnson
Aug 2023 - The Catholic University of America Press
$29.95 USD - Paperback / softback

This Is How You Start to Disappear

Astrid Blodgett
Aug 2023 - University of Alberta Press
$24.99 USD - Paperback / softback

Animal Truth and Other Stories

Sharona Muir
Nov 2022 - University of New Orleans Press
$18.95 USD - Paperback / softback