Synopses & Reviews
This haunting, profoundly disquieting novel tells the story of Kate, despised by her mother, bound to her father by ties stronger than blood.
Review
"To put it simply, Joy William sis the most gifted writer of her generation." Harold Brodkey
Synopsis
Nominated for the National Book Award in 1974, this haunting, profoundly disquieting novel manages to be at once sparse and lush, to combine Biblical simplicity with Gothic intensity and strangeness. It is the story of Kate, despised by her mother, bound to her father by ties stronger and darker than blood. It is the story of her attempted escapesa in detached sexual encounters, at a Southern college populated by spoiled and perverse beauties, and in a doomed marriage to a man who cannot understand what she is running from. Witty, erotic, searing acute, State of Grace bears the inimitable stamp of one of our fines and most provocative writers."
Synopsis
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NOMINEE - Beautifully crafted ... first rate (The New York Times Book Review), this haunting, profoundly disquieting novel manages to be at once sparse and lush, to combine Biblical simplicity with Gothic intensity and strangeness.
It is the story of Kate, despised by her mother, bound to her father by ties stronger and darker than blood. It is the story of her attempted escapes--in detached sexual encounters, at a Southern college populated by spoiled and perverse beauties, and in a doomed marriage to a man who cannot understand what she is running from. Witty, erotic, searing acute, State of Grace bears the inimitable stamp of one of our finest and most provocative writers.
About the Author
Joy Williams is the author of the novels State of Grace, The Changeling, and Breaking and Entering, and of two collections of short stories, Taking Care and Escapes (as well as The Florida Keys: A History and Guide). Among her many awards and honors are the Rea Award for the short story and the Harold and Mildred Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her widely anthologized work has appeared in Esquire, The Paris Review, Granta, and Grand Street. She lives in Arizona and Key West.