Ann Packer recommendation.

I forget where I first encountered Wickersham's work; I think it may have been a story in a recent issue one story. I've come across a few authors featured in that little magazine whose work I've gone on to follow.

I was a little disappointed when I read the first story in The News from Spain. It was kind of dull, a story about infidelity and the difficulty of reconciliation. It seemed almost like a romance drama, if thankfully a few notches higher in terms of quality than the classic bodice ripper. But as I kept reading, the stories began to appeal to me more and more. They became in some cases stories about how stories are made, and there was here and there a touch of the avant garde -- or at least the nonconventional -- about them. Several of the stories also were quite dark, with sort of gut-punch endings that appealed to me.

Wickersham writes well, and though I don't think there was much in the book that I found especially inspiring (meaning: her work doesn't make me want to try writing my own stuff, which the fiction that most appeals to me does tend to do), I think there are some really good stories in the book. I'm glad I read it and will likely read more by her. ( )

I should know better, rarely do I like a book of short stories. Even though it was short I had no interest to continue. ( )

I don't think I loved this book as much as others. The writing was beautiful and complex and the emotion in the stories was real, but I just still didn't feel fully connected to the characters. ( )

I don't think I loved this book as much as others. The writing was beautiful and complex and the emotion in the stories was real, but I just still didn't feel fully connected to the characters. ( )