Forgetting

by Karen Heuler

These literary short stories deal with the subject of dementia—what the world looks like from the outside and how people cope, try to manage, try to imagine, try to adjust. We try to reason with the unreasonable, try to love the unloveable, try above all to find a way of reaching...and finally, we make stories about it.

194 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2022

About the author

Karen Heuler’s stories have appeared in over 100 literary and speculative journals and anthologies, such as F&SF and Asimov's and Conjunctions. She has won an O. Henry award, been nominated for Pushcart and Best American Short Story awards, and was a finalist for the Bellwether Award and the Shirley Jackson Award. The New York Times called her first collection, "The Other Door," “haunting and quirky.” Her short-story collection, "The Inner City," was listed as one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2013. Her novels include "Glorious Plague," about a beautiful apocalypse. Her last book, "The Splendid City," from Angry Robot Books, exiles a novice witch and the man she illegally turned into a cat to Liberty (formerly known as Texas), where constant parades and missing water make life interesting. Her newest collection, "A Slice of the Dark," messes up reality a bit--just a bit--maybe a little more than a bit--with strange tales that might explain a lot.

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for is for anyone who has known someone with Alzheimer's. Hueler has written a series of short stories which run the gamut of emotions from humorous to heartbreaking. Having lived with a loved one with this disease, I found a beautiful expression of my emotions. Although these are separate short stories, the book is a page turner with characters you want to embrace. Her placement of Bedlam next to 242 intensifies the feelings and events described. The last story, The Stray Curse, is a simple story with incredible imagery. I am a fan of Ms. Hueler, but this book reaches a whole different level.
Wow!