Heart-work
"Work of seeing is done, now
go and do heart-work
on all the images imprisoned within you; for you
overpowered them: but even now you don't know them."
—Rilke
In this second compelling collection of stories Roberta Silman explores the intricacies of love, the infinite surprises that exist within families, and the yearning for guidance that can result in great leaps of the imagination on the part of her passionate and resilient characters. As she did in her first prize-winning collection, Blood Relations, Silman has created a group of unforgettable people who have something to tell us about how to negotiate the often dangerous shoals of daily life.
Silman's understanding of the bonds that create fierce loyalties, her ability to see into her characters' minds in uncanny ways, and her grasp of the loneliness that is part of the human condition are revealed in these stories, which have appeared in The Atlantic, McCall's, The Virginia Quarterly Review, and The American Scholar, as well as having been read at Symphony Space and NPR, cited by Narrative Magazine, and included in various anthologies. This collection also includes three new stories.
As Silman reveals the power of memory, the secrets that abound in families, and the amazing stretches the mind can achieve, you will be not only enchanted and delighted, but deeply moved by these wonderfully inspired characters and the people they encounter.
Q&A with Roberta Silman by Deborah Kalb
Buy Heart-work at amazon.com