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THE TRUTH ABOUT ME: STORIES is the fiction debut of extraordinary stories by New York writer Louise Marburg, in which shortcomings, secrets, and inventions turn notions of love and self upside down. No matter what their station in life, the characters in these wry and moving stories face moments in which the shock of being and becoming comes from within.
PRAISE FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT ME
“The Truth About Me, Louise Marburg’s stunning debut collection, offers powerful, finely crafted stories and a myriad of memorable characters–some looking out at the world from behind a dark curtain, others peering in. There is eavesdropping and voyeurism; there are secrets and discoveries. What is at the core of each is human fragility: addiction, mental illness, grief, longing. Marburg knows how to take those dark breathtaking turns and then ease us into a place of understanding and compassion. She also has a wonderful sense of humor and an uncanny eye for locating the absurd, prompting laughter where you least expect it. A terrific collection by a very talented writer.”
—Jill McCorkle, author of Life After Life and Going Away Shoes
“These stories are pleasurably startling, even thrilling. Louise Marburg’s characters go through the shifts and sunderings of life in vivid and lyrically direct prose, and your blood jumps. Smart, assured, masterful stories from a wonderfully audacious new voice.” — Richard Bausch, author of Living in the Weather of the World: Stories
“Louise Marburg’s collection, The Truth About Me, is wonderful. These are smart and lovely stories, perceptive, compassionate and sometimes shocking. Who are these people, so helpless in the currents that surround them? Marburg reveals their cowardice, their flaws, and their deep capacities to engage the heart.”
—Roxana Robinson, author of Sparta: A Novel
“The Truth About Me is cleverly titled, as its author’s capacious heart has room for a vast array of very different characters, each of whom receives the fully serious respect and sympathy in the telling of his or her story. In this way, every reader can find “me” here, not to mention truth. A very fine collection.”
—Antonya Nelson, author of Funny Once: Stories