This collection of short stories ranges across space and time, and explores the loneliness of the human condition. The tales include the solitary astronomer whose desperation for another's touch leads to destruction, and the Pharaoh's daughter who sees her own death rising inexorably before her.
An old girlfriend borrowed my copy of this and never gave it back. 'Please Don't', 'Pyramid' and 'Stealing' (which is a better story than Andre Dubus' similarly-themed 'The Fat Girl') still stand out. The comparison to Carver, and how Wagner's beautifully clear, still pools run deep, is apt.
Useless bit of information: to learn about writing (and to ramp up my typing speed before job hunting), I typed out all three of the above stories on my knackered old laptop.
This is a set of mundane, exquisite, and extraordinary stories. There is no contradiction there. These are extremely well-crafted, and retain full view of the humanity of the story whilst exploring "deeper" themes. Highly recommended.
loved 'Mysteries of the Ancients', 'A simple question' and there are nice touches throughout, but didn't engage with all the stories, some seemed a bit slight.