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The Palace of Wasted Footsteps
Images of dancing and the theme of survival connect the stories in Cary Holladay's latest fiction collection, The Palace of Wasted Footsteps. These images may be explicit, or understated, as in "Mayflies," which suggests the glorious yet frantic dance of brief, intense lives. Yet each story depicts men, women, and children partnered with death, love, or strange, wonderful chance.
Set largely in the Mid-South, Holladay's stories feature characters with honest, even old-fashioned, sensibilities who set out to do right and end up smitten. The policeman in "Doll" discovers that his affection is torn between his pregnant wife, a mannequin he found in a dump, and a haughty saleswoman whose smile is like "a cat's yawn." The young woman in "Runaways," bedazzled by the vanished hot-air balloonist who was her best friend's father, creates a loving legend about him that inspires and sustains her.
Darker in subject matter and atmosphere, "Merry-Go-Sorry" captures an ironic theme that is carried throughout the collection. "Merry- go-sorry. It means a story with good news and bad . . . smacking you in the face at the same time." Centering on a small Arkansas town in the aftermath of a triple murder, the story follows the effects of three boys' deaths on the lives of their parents, friends, and accused killers. Despite the sorrow felt throughout the community, one girl finds solace in her new baby and in the Bible verses she readily quotes.
"Rapture," the story of a young woman who has lost her family and her home, again captures the essence of both joy and sorrow. When a friend gives her a small glass egg, Etta is suddenly confronted with memories of her youth and her beloved family. Although buried woes emerge, she is also filled with newfound contentment: "Tourists waved. To her surprise, her hand flew up; she was waving back."
The rituals, struggles, and triumphs that the various characters in The Palace of Wasted Footsteps experience are personal yet universal. At the same time, they capture the subtle echoes of the American South and its literary tradition. Like glorious mayflies, Holladay's characters are forever enthralled in the frantic dance of life—their passions are strong, their fates inevitable.
Set largely in the Mid-South, Holladay's stories feature characters with honest, even old-fashioned, sensibilities who set out to do right and end up smitten. The policeman in "Doll" discovers that his affection is torn between his pregnant wife, a mannequin he found in a dump, and a haughty saleswoman whose smile is like "a cat's yawn." The young woman in "Runaways," bedazzled by the vanished hot-air balloonist who was her best friend's father, creates a loving legend about him that inspires and sustains her.
Darker in subject matter and atmosphere, "Merry-Go-Sorry" captures an ironic theme that is carried throughout the collection. "Merry- go-sorry. It means a story with good news and bad . . . smacking you in the face at the same time." Centering on a small Arkansas town in the aftermath of a triple murder, the story follows the effects of three boys' deaths on the lives of their parents, friends, and accused killers. Despite the sorrow felt throughout the community, one girl finds solace in her new baby and in the Bible verses she readily quotes.
"Rapture," the story of a young woman who has lost her family and her home, again captures the essence of both joy and sorrow. When a friend gives her a small glass egg, Etta is suddenly confronted with memories of her youth and her beloved family. Although buried woes emerge, she is also filled with newfound contentment: "Tourists waved. To her surprise, her hand flew up; she was waving back."
The rituals, struggles, and triumphs that the various characters in The Palace of Wasted Footsteps experience are personal yet universal. At the same time, they capture the subtle echoes of the American South and its literary tradition. Like glorious mayflies, Holladay's characters are forever enthralled in the frantic dance of life—their passions are strong, their fates inevitable.
- GenresFiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1998
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 20, 2026
The Palace of Wasted Footsteps is a masterclass in storytelling, where syntax becomes emotional architecture. Cary Holladay’s sentences stretch and tighten with deliberate grace, layering memory, history, and longing into every clause. Her language is luminous yet restrained, rooted in place and rich with cadence. Each story unfolds with quiet authority, revealing character through rhythm and precision. I highly recommend it to anyone who favors Southern literary fiction—this is craft at its finest.
September 10, 2012
Some of the most astonishing stories I've ever read. "Merry-Go-Sorry" is about the murder in West Memphis for which the three young men were just released - this is a coincidence I just discovered, having read CH's stories for the first time this summer. This story is singular. The points of view shift from the accused murderers to girlfriends to future lovers, and each voice is perfect. "The detectives write this word down: merry-go-sorry. It means a story with good news and bad, she says slowly, frowning, remembering. Joy and sorrow mixed together, yes, that's what my son used to say." I keep telling everyone about this writer. "Mayflies" will stay with me for a long time, too. She's a gem.
February 10, 2023
This is the first anthology of short stories I have read by this author Cary Holladay, and I was drawn to it by the unusual title and then by the collection of unique stories with complex and engaging characters. My favorite story of all is the last story in the book "Merry-Go-Sorry." It would be hard to describe this story adequately, but wow, it's written so well! This story won the O'Henry Prize for Short Stories Award in a previous year. It's a fictional story based on the real characters from the West Memphis Three murder investigation told from different people's perspectives. This is a great read that I'm sure you will enjoy. Check it out. I recommend it to the reading community.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews