These 15 stories--from the gritty street narratives of "Liebesnacht" and "Fat Phils Day," through the lower-middle class angst of "Fortune Cookie" or "A Penny for Your Thoughts," to the mythical stillness of the title story, confirm Selby's powers as one of the few post-moderns to stare the social and psychological realities of the late 20th century in the face. In these stories, the everyday rubs shoulders with obsession and madness. A homeless man finds his coat more meaningful than a violent city around him; a girl on a subway becomes a man's fantasy object; a salesman finds courage and success through fortune cookies; and a father smashes a television set to gain his son's attention. Selby offers a passionate empathy with the ordinary dreams and aspirations of his characters, and a ear for the urban vernacular and for the voices of conscience and self-deceit that trouble his protagonists. ISBN 0-7145-2840-4: $16. 95.
