Hibernate

by Elizabeth Eslami

Hibernate is a big-hearted and brutal story collection. In these globe-spanning stories, Elizabeth Eslami follows ordinary men and women who slowly awaken to hard choices. A fishing trip forces two Montana brothers to grow up in ways they never could have imagined. A Sudanese immigrant begins a new life with his girlfriend in America, only to find himself pulled toward his mother’s past transgressions. A group of tourists visits an Indian pueblo and realizes their tour guide isn’t at all who they expected. A shipwrecked captain and his men cling to the company of narwhals and Eskimos. And in the unforgettable title story, two lovers trade life as they’ve known it for an escape into the extraordinary.
 
A masterful storyteller as likely to draw blood as to heal, Eslami moves her restless, resilient characters across an uneven landscape toward a hard earned place of peace.

132 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2014

About the author

Elizabeth Eslami is the author of the story collection, Hibernate, for which she was awarded the 2013 Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction, and the novel Bone Worship (Pegasus, 2010). Her essays, short stories, and travel writing have appeared most recently in The Sun and Witness, and her work is featured in the anthologies Tremors: New Fiction By Iranian American Writers and Writing Off Script: Writers on the Influence of Cinema. She has taught in the MFA Programs at Manhattanville College and Indiana University, and she is currently the Hampton and Esther Boswell Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at DePauw University.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Eslami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just going through the third proofs now! So excited for this collection to be out in the world.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read Hibernate by Elizabeth Eslami, is to read a most absorbing, most astonishing collection of short stories. Eslami manages, in the first few sentences to pull you into the story and hold you fast until the end. And long after the story is finished, her characters stay with you. Not only does the reader come to know Eslami's lead characters fully but with a few simple sentences Eslami introduces secondary characters succinctly and perfectly. "There is a wife too. A wife standing next to Dr. Dawn eating a hamburger with a fork."
This varied collection of stories, told with tension, charm, and authenticity embraces different personalities and situations within different cultures. This is a must-read collection from the author of the powerfully touching novel, Bone Worship.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of short stories that take place in different areas of the world. Many with unclear or no ending, don't ever like that. The writing is excellent, as is use of imagery. The stories tend to jump around, while still making sense- but the lack of endings make me not love this book as much as I would have. I like a clear ending, what can I say.

[Rinku · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself feeling like someone looking at a car wreck as I made my way through each of the short stories. I was unsure of what I would read next but I couldn't look away. Her prose is amazing and the authenticity of her stories resonated with me.

If you enjoy short stories I recommend this book.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Eslami just keeps getting better. You need this book on your shelf right now. It's brutal and beautiful in the most amazing ways.