The First Hurt: Stories (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781890447410)

From a young writer whose stories have graced the pages of today's most exciting literary journals, comes a masterfully elegant, sexy, and surprising debut. The publication of Rachel Sherman's first book heralds the arrival of a singularly fresh and remarkably assured new voice. In this brilliantly original story collection, she evokes the wonders and horrors of a young woman's life, from girl to teenager to adult, through crushes, sex, family, and the agonies and ecstasies of finding one's way. Sherman's beautifully direct and deceptively simple prose produces accessible, shockingly real narratives that combine a disarming sexual edge with great sensitivity and humor. From a high school girl's crush on her female teacher, to a family's serenity threatened by the presence of a sexy Danish au pair, to a pubescent girl's sexually outrageous soldier pen-pal, all the way to a young couple's horrifying yet life-affirming experience of learning to love their brain-injured newborn twins, this collection wends its way around the deepest of struggles with unusual frankness and wisdom. Fans of A. M. Homes, Mary Gaitskill, Mona Simpson, and Rick Moody will be thrilled at this auspicious and noteworthy debut.


Author: Rachel Sherman
ISBN-10: 1890447412
ISBN-13: 9781890447410
Publisher: Open City Books
Language: English
Published: 04/12/2006
Pages: 160
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.46lbs
Size: 8.34h x 6.40w x 0.47d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/27/2006 pg. 33
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2006 pg. 259