Private State

by Charlotte Bacon

An award-winning collection of delicately crafted stories follows women of various ages who find themselves on the verge of a crisis and the ways they respond to it, from seeking refuge in sunny places to returning home. UP.

Genres: Short Stories

179 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1997

About the author

I first started writing when I was a counselor in a halfway house after college and I had a colleague who always wrote, "Things just fine," in the log we used to track the states of mind of our clients. Given that they were all chronically mentally ill, 'things just fine' was a bit misleading. I started trying to use the small space we had to capture what I saw and discovered the power of clear description. I've always balanced writing with other pursuits: traveling, teaching, and now, being a mother to three kids. Those activities aren't separate for me; everything I engage in influences everything else. Words are the place where I filter what I see and think, the place I have to make things stick.

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wasn't for me. I don't like judging books since a writer, I am not. That's all I can say is that it didn't interest me. I didn't make it past the 3rd story.