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Between Camelots
Winner of the 2005 Drue Heinz Literature Prize
Between Camelots is about the struggle to forge relationships and the spaces that are left when that effort falls short. In the title story, a man at a backyard barbecue waits for a blind date who never shows up. He meets a stranger who advises him to give up the fight; to walk away from intimacy altogether and stop getting hurt. The wisdom—or foolhardiness—of that approach is at the heart of each of these stories. In “I’ll Be Home,” a young man who has converted to Judaism goes home for Christmas in Miami, and finds that his desire to connect to his parents conflicts with his need to move on. “The Movements of the Body” introduces us to a woman who believes that she can control the disintegration of her life through a carefully measured balance of whiskey and mouthwash. These are stories about loss and fear, but also about the courage that drives us all to continue to reach out to the people around us.
Between Camelots is about the struggle to forge relationships and the spaces that are left when that effort falls short. In the title story, a man at a backyard barbecue waits for a blind date who never shows up. He meets a stranger who advises him to give up the fight; to walk away from intimacy altogether and stop getting hurt. The wisdom—or foolhardiness—of that approach is at the heart of each of these stories. In “I’ll Be Home,” a young man who has converted to Judaism goes home for Christmas in Miami, and finds that his desire to connect to his parents conflicts with his need to move on. “The Movements of the Body” introduces us to a woman who believes that she can control the disintegration of her life through a carefully measured balance of whiskey and mouthwash. These are stories about loss and fear, but also about the courage that drives us all to continue to reach out to the people around us.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
167 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
40 people want to read
About the author
David Ebenbach
25 books104 followersDavid Ebenbach: preoccupied with the human condition since 1972.
He's also (as a result of his preoccupations) the author of five books of fiction, three poetry collections, and a non-fiction guide to the creative process. His books have won numerous awards, including the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the Juniper Prize. A native of Philadelphia, David now lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he teaches creative writing and literature at Georgetown University.
He's also (as a result of his preoccupations) the author of five books of fiction, three poetry collections, and a non-fiction guide to the creative process. His books have won numerous awards, including the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the Juniper Prize. A native of Philadelphia, David now lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he teaches creative writing and literature at Georgetown University.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 26, 2007
Gorgeously written stories, demonstrating a real sensitivity to the human experience. I’ve read several of them over and over.
February 2, 2011
Wonderful collection of short fiction pieces by an award-winning new author.
February 18, 2017
I really liked this collection of short stories - and not JUST because I already find David to be an amazing writer. While short story is generally not my preferred format, his characters and situations develop so organically that I found myself walking down a street of Montreal, around an awkward family Christmas tree in Florida, or hovering over the chips and dip at a backyard barbecue. But beyond feeling a part of each story, my soul and emotions identified strongly with the gritty feelings of grief, loneliness and identity shifting that characters were experiencing. While I won't find myself in any of these exact stories in my life, an aspect of each story was my own. The combination of these stories gives a sense of hope, even with the swirling difficulties of missed opportunities, pain and loss.
June 21, 2017
Okay, so I'm biased. David Harris Ebenbach was a high school classmate, and still is a close personal friend of mine. Still, I can't be the only one who was particularly impressed with his first book. Between Camelots won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize 2005 (a prize for collections of short stories by new authors), and has been praised as "delicately balanced, [...] immensely skillful," and "rendered with an honesty and compassion that can make you sit up and gasp," to quote just two reviews from the back cover of the book.
The title of the book comes (as so many do) from one of the short stories it contains, one about the search for new relationships, about being between relationships, here called "Camelots" in which "large groups of friends get together, and everybody loves everybody, and then somebody sleeps with the wrong somebody or everybody moves somewhere else, and the whole thing collapses again. [...] Who can put up with that?" Ebenbach's character adds.
These touching stories about relationships are like excellent potato chips. They are crisp and full of salt; they are both delicate and rich in flavor. And, they make me come back for more. I crave them in the evenings, but they are not really good bedtime reading, as they sit unsettled and undigested, making me thirst for time to think about them. It is hard to keep my resolution of reading only one at a time (I see short stories from E.A. Poe's point of view: one story, one sitting), but I regret reading another as it distracts me from the first. Even the shortest ones of just two or three pages have enough content to keep me up all night.
If you read for distraction and entertainment, if you prefer escapism, this is no book for you. But if you appreciate needle-sharp prose and material to mull over, you will love this book. Even in its moments of greatest desperation, it is inspired and inspiring. Between Camelots is a true winner, in all senses of the word.
The title of the book comes (as so many do) from one of the short stories it contains, one about the search for new relationships, about being between relationships, here called "Camelots" in which "large groups of friends get together, and everybody loves everybody, and then somebody sleeps with the wrong somebody or everybody moves somewhere else, and the whole thing collapses again. [...] Who can put up with that?" Ebenbach's character adds.
These touching stories about relationships are like excellent potato chips. They are crisp and full of salt; they are both delicate and rich in flavor. And, they make me come back for more. I crave them in the evenings, but they are not really good bedtime reading, as they sit unsettled and undigested, making me thirst for time to think about them. It is hard to keep my resolution of reading only one at a time (I see short stories from E.A. Poe's point of view: one story, one sitting), but I regret reading another as it distracts me from the first. Even the shortest ones of just two or three pages have enough content to keep me up all night.
If you read for distraction and entertainment, if you prefer escapism, this is no book for you. But if you appreciate needle-sharp prose and material to mull over, you will love this book. Even in its moments of greatest desperation, it is inspired and inspiring. Between Camelots is a true winner, in all senses of the word.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews