Where There Are Two or More: Stories

by Elizabeth Genovise

The characters in these thirteen stories set in the mountains of east Tennessee struggle with both regret and renewal. Three children confront the reality of death, and the possibility of a returning, during a family camping trip; a lonely teacher endures both condemnation and forgiveness from a challenging student; a missionary's wife makes a surprising discovery about the true definition of love; a widower regains his confidence thanks to some unexpected help; an unlikely interchange between a depressed car salesman and a neglected housewife sparks a revival in them both. These and other characters discover unexpected turns even along the most familiar trails. They often find that where there are two or more, there is the potential for clarity and rebirth, even in the wilderness of lives they never saw coming.

244 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2015

About the author

Elizabeth Genovise grew up in Villa Park, Illinois. She graduated from the MFA program at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and considers her time in the Deep South to be the best of her life. Since then she has published three collections of short stories via small presses- A Different Harbor, Where There Are Two or More, and Posing Nude for the Saints- in addition to a chapbook, The Stone Pear. Her fourth book, Palindrome, is due out from the Texas Review Press in 2022.


Elizabeth is a 2016 O. Henry Prize recipient and her stories have appeared in The Cimarron Review, Natural Bridge, Pembroke Magazine, Appalachian Heritage, and dozens of other literary journals. She teaches college composition and literature, and also works as a private creative writing coach for aspiring authors. She and her husband Chris live near Knoxville, Tennessee in a home that is half writer's studio, half woodworking shop (where's the dining room???). Someday, she'd like to live in a lighthouse on Lake Michigan, and she is currently at work on a novel set in on those shores.

Reviews

[Karen Rettig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of short stories about our need for connection: to other people, to nature, and to values that are Christian (even though the author doesn’t usually identify them as such). Her stories present people who are seeking wholeness.

In one story, a man and woman muse in isolation about how they allowed their marriage to dissolve; meanwhile, their preschool daughter compulsively populates a doll house with a family of dolls in an effort to put her family back together.

In another story, a young man decides he must keep money that his brother badly needs; we, the readers, foresee how his selfish act will poison his
future relationships.

In another, a young woman teaches at a school that fails to educate its students. She hates her job but stays because of her connection to one autistic boy whom she can help.

I’m a reader who loves to dive into a plot and resurface several days later, so I am not usually a fan of short stories. These stories were an exception.

[Rosalind · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes a well-written book to make me feel depressed after reading it. Beautifully crafted stories that make you ache for the characters described & the hurt of life. Just wish there was at least one instance of redemption or healing... and no, the ending of an unhappy marriage and the starting of a happy new one does not do that for me. Well written tho, as I've come to expect from Genovise.