Skating on the Vertical
Stories
by Jan English Leary
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Pub Date Nov 01 2017 | Archive Date Nov 15 2017
Description
Jan English Leary’s writing deftly offers insight into the disappointments and beauty of human love. In her new collection of sixteen stories, Skating on the Vertical, Leary writes about individuals who face the challenges of infertility and parenting, estrangement and intimacy, illness and recovery, loss and redemption. At the end of the stories, the characters emerge, sometimes broken, sometimes stronger, always changed.
Advance Praise
"Leary is a truly fine storyteller."--Lori Ostlund, author of The Bigness of the World and After the Parade
“.…a lyrical work of art that grabs your heart at every turn.”—Centered on Books
Praise for THICKER THAN BLOOD by Jan English Leary:
“…a great book club selection, especially with its themes of mixed-race families, sisters, and adoption.”—BethFish Reads
". . . its portrait of a mixed-race family illustrates the parallel worlds inhabited by black and white Americans and the damage that needs to be repaired before we can truly call ourselves a post-racial country.”—Kirkus Reviews
“We come to understand what the issues of family, race and self-confidence mean for Andrea, Pearl, and Nancy as we discover secrets about them that even they don’t know about one another. Gaining access to the deepest darkest parts of their pasts, the reader is able to sympathize and interact with these characters in a way that the characters themselves are not able to do with one another. In turn, the characters are strengthened and we become more invested in their imperfect and disjointed lives. . . . beautiful and moving . . . Leary has done a brilliant job of gathering universal themes and holding them up for the reader to observe and judge for herself.
An excellent first novel.”—Centered on Books
“It is rare that a contemporary novel offers the heart-shattering wisdom of THICKER THAN BLOOD. In its portrayals of the always-shifting "American identity," it offers readers insight into how we have perceived the "American dream" during the past three generations. Jan English Leary's novel masterfully unfolds the stories of unforgettable characters at the moments when they are making and losing and returning to and abandoning all their first assumptions of home and of family.”—Kevin McIlvoy, author of 57 Octaves Below Middle C, The Complete History of New Mexico, Hyssop, Little Peg
“Jan English Leary, a first rate storyteller, examines the intersection between idealism, the harsh reality of post-racist America, the challenges of adoption and the brutality of family life in general. The journey of parenthood is not for the faint-hearted. I read this novel with great admiration for the writer and vicarious pain for her characters.”
—Goldie Goldbloom, author of The Paperbark Shoe and You Lose These
“In her debut novel, Jan English Leary sensitively explores themes of parenthood, adoption, and race, never shying away from the uncomfortable realities that make up the business of living. Through multiple perspectives, we meet characters who, though wildly different, share an aching desire to find their place in the world and connect with others. Their efforts to do so and the challenges they face form the basis of this compelling story. Leary has a deft hand; her clear, intuitive prose offers insight into the disappointments, mystery, and beauty underlying human love.”
—Janice Deal, author of The Decline of Pigeons
“In Thicker Than Blood, Jan English Leary tackles big issues: the mother-daughter bond, race, adoption, and immigration, to name a few. . . [a] well-crafted and insightful novel. . . With great empathy and insight, Leary portrays a mother-daughter relationship that is both unconventional and universal. I was left thinking of Pearl and Andrea, and wishing them well, long after I turned the final page.”—Katherine Shonk, The Red Passport and Happy Now?
“ . . . How individuals seek and avoid love, how they misunderstand and hurt one another are at the heart of all intimate relationships. How this bind is magnified and complicated by the pressure of race is what this fine novel reveals. Written with uncommon grace and profound insight, Thicker Than Blood is a brave and poignant novel.”—Lynn Sloan, author of Principles of Navigation
“Heart-rending from beginning to end . . .”—Marylee MacDonald, author of Montpelier Tomorrow
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781944388249 |
| PRICE | $15.00 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Kathleen D, Reviewer
'Funny how the comet looks both still and in motion- held in its orbit but fighting to break away. Brian thinks it’s beautiful, freeflying. I only see it’s falling apart. I am Brian’s tail, clinging for dear life, feeling bits of myself break away and turn into mist. He’s on the move and I can’t hang on for much longer.'
Short and intimate, this collection is women at their worst and best. In Eskimo Pie, Margaret is a teacher reluctant to be the awkward students champion. It’s my favorite in this collection, because I felt so wounded by her honesty and refreshed. We hate mirrors, don’t we? Reflecting all those things about ourselves we shed long ago or, the horror, seeing everything we don’t want to be, but are. Jessica, that poor, clueless outcast is set to have a far worse day, poking Margaret’s meanness. When she gets her period, the hardness is dislodged and suddenly the commonality is suffering, something all women share, our bodies betray us all.
Eunuchs is depressing and hopeful, Pak Jeong (Korean student) isn’t meant to succeed and it seems the system in place has it in for him. In trying to teach those students lacking the English language skills necessary to be ‘up to snuff’ for Dreighton Hall, she resents the successful elite and sees longs to save, Pak. Natalie wants to fight for him, as much as she wishes he could just try to blend in his defiance is gathering momentum and when he blows, Natalie has admiration for his courage.
Skin Art is about more than someone who used to ‘cut’, the way Madeline is treated by her husband, that dismissive annoyance and impatience he expresses towards her, the sense she has to explain herself speaks volumes. Why is it she is pushing herself so much, as if trying to keep up with his needs, when so often women are meant to push full steam ahead when they really just need a lie down, a moment to recharge? I adore the moment she gets Mendhi, has the Alok added to the design and that her perceptive husband, quick to point out her faults, is left with nothing but confusion.
In Skating The Vertical, Nate struggles with his father’s descent into depression after losing his job and feels shame in the cruelty he and his friends do to a homeless man. There is, for boys, a different sort of struggle, an expectation of ‘toughness’ and violence, boys can’t be weak, while girls fight within their bodies, boys have to act ‘out’.
Rocky Road touched me, it reminded me of something my own mother has said several times when other female family members have had cancer. A chummy sort of ‘well it takes cancer to lose weight’, that branded my brain. Think about that, I may be sick but at least I am not fat. That’s haunted me, in this story mother Leigh has just finished a round of chemo and her friend Vena, is a self-appointed healer, setting up the best possible diet for her. Daughter Candace feels shut out, their bond has been junk food, and their curvaceous “Morgan hips”. This clean life is a cold place. It’s funny how stories can mean different things to each reader.
There are sixteen stories within, dealing with unwanted pregnancy, infertility ,desperate love, self-harm, healing, body image, and of course forbidden relationships. All the terrible things we women do to ourselves, the hidden pain, the lonely choices… it takes crocodile skin!
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