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Spell Heaven and Other Stories
After moving to a coastal town a gay couple is drawn to a group of outsiders living on the edge of the sea.
In Spell Heaven, a linked story collection, a lesbian couple moves to a coast town and unexpectedly finds a sense of belonging with a group of outsiders.
Stories include the tale of an undocumented boy’s drowning when a wave pulls him out to sea, an ex–FBI agent’s surveillance of a man who leaves chocolate bars at a tree in a weekly ritual, a mother on meth who teaches a lesson on mercy, and Kite Man, who flies kites from a fishing pole and sells drugs on the side. His motto: When the kites fly, you can buy.
The narrator of these stories, raised in a working-class Croatian American fishing family and immigrant community, chooses an early career in labor-oriented jobs. Years later, she finds herself in an academic position in a white-collar world “where the clothes are clean but the politics are dirty.” She questions her own stereotypes about her neighbors and gradually begins to question her life path. Spell Heaven celebrates those who are looking for a human connection in an increasingly isolated world.
In Spell Heaven, a linked story collection, a lesbian couple moves to a coast town and unexpectedly finds a sense of belonging with a group of outsiders.
Stories include the tale of an undocumented boy’s drowning when a wave pulls him out to sea, an ex–FBI agent’s surveillance of a man who leaves chocolate bars at a tree in a weekly ritual, a mother on meth who teaches a lesson on mercy, and Kite Man, who flies kites from a fishing pole and sells drugs on the side. His motto: When the kites fly, you can buy.
The narrator of these stories, raised in a working-class Croatian American fishing family and immigrant community, chooses an early career in labor-oriented jobs. Years later, she finds herself in an academic position in a white-collar world “where the clothes are clean but the politics are dirty.” She questions her own stereotypes about her neighbors and gradually begins to question her life path. Spell Heaven celebrates those who are looking for a human connection in an increasingly isolated world.
288 pages, Paperback
Published April 26, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 6, 2022
I couldn’t put this down. This gem of a story collection features a sole narrator that really I felt was just talking to me the whole time. The pieces are all connected so it’s very different than a typical short story collection. I can say this: it really worked for me. I was drawn into her Northern California life by the ocean and all of the outsiders and odd folks that are around her. Told with humor, grace and humility, the stories speak to our connections to each other and the world around us, despite our feelings of isolation. Highly recommend!
July 18, 2022
it's about the human connection of it all!
Rep: lesbian mcs
Rep: lesbian mcs
November 24, 2021
Read my review of this book here: https://booksandbakes.substack.com/p/...
May 4, 2022
Very entertaining stories of living life in a small seaside town. The hardships of life in the fishing industry with insight on how to interact and get along with neighbors with so many differences in life style. Great read for as many or as few short stories as you have time to read.
April 27, 2022
Wonderful stories! Here's the review I wrote for the New York Journal of Books:https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book...
July 21, 2022
A big-hearted book of stories that share the same narrator and a situation and depict life in a sea-bound town near San Francisco. The narrator shares many personal characteristics with the implied author, which gives the reader a strong sense of a meta-fictional world, a world, close enough to our own, but refracted through the eyes of a single storyteller. Besides the glimpses into her own life and preoccupations, the narrator -- who is currently a writing teacher at a university -- shares stories of the boardwalk's inhabitants, and introduces us into her world, gives us a chance to live with her by the sea and observe what she does. Reading this book was a wholly immersive experience.
March 13, 2023
Sweet and engaging stories about getting to know the people in your community to an almost fantastical degree. Sometimes a bit on the nose with the morals for my taste however
June 14, 2026
These stories are engaging, thought-provoking, and enjoyable even if not always cheerful. There is often tragedy and heartache, but also hope. Descriptions of the locals of the beach town where the narrator resides include semi-marginalized persons, non-conformists, or just plain characters. I think the chapter that elicited the most emotion and understanding for me was the chapter: "Out There", where the author goes into what it means to be close to the sea. The pier - that oasis - is a place of belonging for those who need an escape, a place where you know that as soon as you step onto that platform, you belong. One may keep to themselves, but can still participate by just being there. These characters don't dress up for anyone but themselves. Acceptance for who they are is icing on the cake.
The author also writes about her mother, family, culture, and other autobiographical details which reflect the basis for these stories. Her wife is a caring, accomplished person and she herself is a college instructor. The narrator seems to be searching, always searching, for answers. She definitely has an avid curiosity about others of her species, especially those "interesting" persons. She imagines what they might be like, how they got where they are, etc., sometimes before even communicating with them. Some of these are philosophical, stream-of-consciousness musings. I enjoyed the book in part because I could relate to the places and some of the characters in these stories - they seem familiar to me, as I grew up in and live in one of those seaside communities. The book evokes a foggy coast, sea and salt air, wind, waves, and fascinating individuals.
The author also writes about her mother, family, culture, and other autobiographical details which reflect the basis for these stories. Her wife is a caring, accomplished person and she herself is a college instructor. The narrator seems to be searching, always searching, for answers. She definitely has an avid curiosity about others of her species, especially those "interesting" persons. She imagines what they might be like, how they got where they are, etc., sometimes before even communicating with them. Some of these are philosophical, stream-of-consciousness musings. I enjoyed the book in part because I could relate to the places and some of the characters in these stories - they seem familiar to me, as I grew up in and live in one of those seaside communities. The book evokes a foggy coast, sea and salt air, wind, waves, and fascinating individuals.
November 11, 2023
Incredibly beautiful and very poetically written collection of stories about the importance of human connection from an outsiders perspective. I honestly don’t think this book would have been merely as impactful if it wasn’t written with an LGBT perspective. Maybe i’m biased being a queer person, but this was amazing. The entire book felt like it had a sense of yearning. If you need a book to remind you how amazing it is to connect with people who you wouldn’t otherwise reach out to, read this.
July 5, 2023
Astounding. Toni writes so poetically, I often had to stop reading, shake my head & rub my eyes in astonishment. Easily one of my favorite books of all time. Spell Heaven is like a wellspring of healing water for an ailing world.
July 20, 2022
An absolutely beautiful book with gorgeous writing. I will be thinking about this one for a while.
September 28, 2022
filed under: books that feel a little bit like a hug
October 6, 2022
i loved it !! would recommend <3
June 19, 2023
Here are the questions we started with at the Reading the Western Landscape Community Book Discussion
Ice breaker: What's your relationship to the sea or beach? Why?
What do you think about how the author arranged the stories? Does this make it a narrative? Why/Why not?
How do you tell these are short stories, not memoir? Does it matter? Why/Why not?
What makes this different from other short story collections you have read?
What is one thing you learned from this book?
Does the lapsed Catholicism fit in with these stories. Why?/Why not?
What is your favorite story in this collection? Why? Which one, not so much? Why?
What do you think about the author's exploration of friendship as portrayed in these stories?
Does the book resolve her dilemma with the sea? Why?/Why not?
Was the author successful in writing out of despair? Why?/Why not? Is the emotion despair?
How did it change your reading when she mentioned cancer? Covid?
Favorite line, image, or passage?
Ice breaker: What's your relationship to the sea or beach? Why?
What do you think about how the author arranged the stories? Does this make it a narrative? Why/Why not?
How do you tell these are short stories, not memoir? Does it matter? Why/Why not?
What makes this different from other short story collections you have read?
What is one thing you learned from this book?
Does the lapsed Catholicism fit in with these stories. Why?/Why not?
What is your favorite story in this collection? Why? Which one, not so much? Why?
What do you think about the author's exploration of friendship as portrayed in these stories?
Does the book resolve her dilemma with the sea? Why?/Why not?
Was the author successful in writing out of despair? Why?/Why not? Is the emotion despair?
How did it change your reading when she mentioned cancer? Covid?
Favorite line, image, or passage?
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews