All’s Fair and Other California Stories
In this rich collection of thirteen short stories, a diverse group of characters seek the fulfillment and connection this sunny state has always promised. They come with hopes for a better lifestyle, for a change of perspective, or for the dry, mild West Coast weather. A couple moves to Palm Desert from New York for the climate a doctor prescribes, and the wife makes an unlikely friendship to manage feelings of loss and homesickness. A young Mexican woman migrates to California only to marry an American man who deserts her. A young man is disqualified from the Naval Aeronautical program and returns to his sister’s home where he struggles with his identity and sexuality. A teenage girl travels to California from New York to spend the summer with the father she hasn’t seen for many years. The stories take place under the glare of the Southern California sun, a western desert light so clear and unfiltered that it reveals everything. All’s Fair and Other California Stories offers a deeply immersive experience into the lives of various characters and will leave readers feeling thoughtful and transported.
What People Are Saying
“Linda Feyder is a remarkably attentive and subtle storyteller whose understanding of her characters allows her to honor their complexity in a few deft and graceful strokes.”
— Rosellen Brown is the author of Before and After, Half a Heart, and other novels
“Ms. Feyder has a first-rate ear, a noticing eye, and a wide-ranging sympathy; this is a book to savor and a very welcome new voice.”
— Nicholas Delbanco, author of the novel It is Enough, and the non-fiction text, Why Writing Matters