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Listening for Ghosts: A Novella and Four Stories
In these disquieting tales of confronting the past, the author and playwright showcases his “keen ear for how people talk, think, and behave” (Publishers Weekly).
Listening for Ghosts collects some of David Rabe’s most compelling short fiction of the past few years, including three stories that appeared in the New Yorker. In “Things We Worried About When I Was Ten,” a group of seemingly carefree Midwestern boys are revealed to be egregiously uncared for by their parents. “The Longer Grief” is a slow-motion explosion, as one moment in time propels shards of reckoning through the shared history of a brother and sister. In “Uncle Jim Called,” a man cooking stir fry answers a phone call from the dead . “Suffocation Theory” slyly depicts our off-kilter and increasingly apocalyptic world.
In the novella, I Have to Tell You, the elderly tenants of a Midwestern apartment complex seek fairness from a conniving landlord. When an emergency stay in the hospital brings a near-octogenarian named Emma face-to-face with looming injustice, she finds herself burdened with two mysteries to solve. She may never get to the bottom of them, but she is determined to do all she can.
Also included are “Things We Worried About When I Was Ten,” which won the 2021 O. Henry Prize, and “The Longer Grief,” which won first prize in the 2019 Narrative Story Contest.
Listening for Ghosts collects some of David Rabe’s most compelling short fiction of the past few years, including three stories that appeared in the New Yorker. In “Things We Worried About When I Was Ten,” a group of seemingly carefree Midwestern boys are revealed to be egregiously uncared for by their parents. “The Longer Grief” is a slow-motion explosion, as one moment in time propels shards of reckoning through the shared history of a brother and sister. In “Uncle Jim Called,” a man cooking stir fry answers a phone call from the dead . “Suffocation Theory” slyly depicts our off-kilter and increasingly apocalyptic world.
In the novella, I Have to Tell You, the elderly tenants of a Midwestern apartment complex seek fairness from a conniving landlord. When an emergency stay in the hospital brings a near-octogenarian named Emma face-to-face with looming injustice, she finds herself burdened with two mysteries to solve. She may never get to the bottom of them, but she is determined to do all she can.
Also included are “Things We Worried About When I Was Ten,” which won the 2021 O. Henry Prize, and “The Longer Grief,” which won first prize in the 2019 Narrative Story Contest.
- GenresFictionShort Stories
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 13, 2023
Generously borrowed from the author’s sister Marsha. Enjoyed my first novella which had me gasping for air under the cruelty of an attending nurse and all the uncertainties of growing old. Four short stories with my favorite ,The Longer Grief, Rabe’s keen intuit of profound sadness and the struggle to come back from it resonates with me.
July 1, 2024
Great detail. I don’t know if I would recommend though. The stories were very disconnected and I’m not sure what meaning I’m supposed to get out of it- but it read like a movie. I enjoyed.
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February 6, 2025New Yorker story
March 5, 2025
“My Friend Pinocchio
Two friends who are very different but remain attached.over many years. Hollywood writers producers both. When one dies the narrator laments loss opportunities.
Two friends who are very different but remain attached.over many years. Hollywood writers producers both. When one dies the narrator laments loss opportunities.
May 29, 2025
Standout: The Longer Grief.
Excellent, understated depictions of the parade of messy, inconclusive episodes which seemingly constitute contemporary existence.
Excellent, understated depictions of the parade of messy, inconclusive episodes which seemingly constitute contemporary existence.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews