Synopses & Reviews
The theme of longing in all its forms-for change, for redemption, for travel outside the bounds of daily life to realms where anything seems possible--unites this master story collection. In the extraordinary "Why China?" a man drags his family to the Xi'an province in a desperate attempt to reclaim his lost integrity, only to find himself more reomte and mysterious than the place where his journey led. In settings as exotic as Kenya and Bora Bora, as glamorous as downtown Manhattan, or as familiar as suburban Illinois, Egan's characters--models, housewives, schoolgirls--seek transformation of the body and spirit, and trancendence of the borders of desire."
Review
"Masterful...Discovering Egan in the nineties is like discovering Ann Beattie in the eighties." --Joseph Olshan,
Entertainment Weekly"Immensely appealing...Told with dazzling insight and emotional daring." --Lisa Shea, Elle
"Lustrous...these stories sparkle with Egan's fresh imagery and precise renderings of mood and place...A writer of tremendous inteligence and grace." --Anndee Hochman, The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Affecting accuracy...quiet but disturbing...She deftly depicts the ways in which women can create glamorously detailed personas for one another based on passing observations." --Ginia Bellafante, Time