This collection of new and revised novellas, fragments, and short stories is as varied and diverse as the settings and the characters who inhabit them. As in her previous works, National Book Award finalist Jones explores expansive themes through the perspectives of richly drawn, fascinating characters who are often out of place and time. . . . There is a dreamlike quality as we enter the minds of these characters that is inviting and effective. Even in the briefest of fragments. . . . the reader is left feeling full and satisfied. Booklist, Starred Review
A collection of glorious stories and rough fragments. . . . [T]hese stories sing. This is a gift for Jones s fans. Publishers Weekly
Every Jones publication is a major event, but this one is particularly precious. This wide ranging collection of short fiction is only the second by one of our most lauded literary authors. Oprah Daily
Butter tells singing stories of characters navigating multiracial, multicultural societies. TIME
At this point, I will read anything Gayl Jones has written, and you should too. This is a collection of novellas and stories, some never-before-published and others substantially revised. Karla Strand, Ms.
Jones s writing powerfully blends narrative and lyricism . . . Her imagination seems to thrive on outstripping one s expectations. Margo Jefferson
Butter : A novella
Sophia : A novella
Screen Test : A fragment
A Spy Story
Garlic Bread : A novella
The Costume Maker
Worker : A fragment
Mirabeau
Jigsaw Sandals
Shuger s Wife
The Female Angel
Horse Race : A fragment
Bathtub Gin : A fragment
The Historian, the Actress, and the Playwright
Ravenna
The Horse-Believing Woman
The Lost Stories : Fragments Jazz People Abstract Fiction Cultural Pluralism Sweet Marsala Rainbow People The Elephant, or Totem and Taboo The Gingerbread Man: An Experiment Wooley Boatman Stephan and Pilar Mrs. Marsipan Aunt Jane s Dream
Gayl Jones was born in Kentucky in 1949. She attended Connecticut College and Brown University, and has taught at Wellesley College and the University of Michigan. Her landmark books include Corregidora, Eva s Man, The Healing (a National Book Award finalist and New York Times Notable Book of the Year), Palmares (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction), and most recently, The Birdcatcher (National Book Award finalist).