Big Bend: Stories

by Bill Roorbach

The winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, this intriguing anthology of stories explores the complex twists and turns of human relationships in such works as "Fog," "Thanksgiving," and the title story, about a grieving widower, feeling the onslaught of age, who finds himself attracted to a young birdwatcher no older than his daughter.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

174 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Bill Roorbach's newest novel is The Remedy For Love, coming October 2014 from Algonquin Books. Life Among Giants, also from Algonquin, is in development for a multi-year series at HBO, and won the 2014 Maine Literary Award in Fiction. Big Bend: Stories has just be re-released by Georgia in its Flannery O'Connor Award series. Temple Stream is soon to be re-released by Down East Books. Bill is also the author of the romantic memoir SUMMERS WITH JULIET, the novel THE SMALLEST COLOR, the essay collection INTO WOODS. The tenth anniversary edition of his craft book, WRITING LIFE STORIES, is used in writing programs around the world. His short fiction has been published in Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly, Playboy, and dozens of other magazines, journals, and websites, and has been featured on NPR's Selected Shorts, and won an O. Henry Prize. He lives in western Maine where he writes full time.

For more information about Bill Roorbach, see www.billroorbach.com, www.lifeamonggiantsthebook.com, and be sure to enjoy his blog and videos at www.billanddavescocktailhour.com. Follow him on Twitter: @​billroorbach.

Reviews

[Douglas Forman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Roorbach and these stories amount men, young and old, trying to figure out their loneliness, don't disappoint. He fits comfortably among a lot of American male writers I love: Richard Ford, Ron Carlson, Chris Bachelder.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Bill Roorbach's stories and these were just right for reading in between non-fiction books. Some set in Maine, but also all over the country.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite was the title story, last in the collection, but top of my list. Although I love short stories, I sometimes have difficulty with very male ones and I found the subject of some of these to be a bit male for my liking. I liked reading them and found them very thoughtful and interesting, I just had abit of trouble with the recurring older man, younger woman thing.

[Wendell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underwhelmed. These are stories full of lovely evocations and brilliant descriptions – in which absolutely nothing happens. Some will love Roorbach’s Carveresque spareness and exquisite descriptions of nature, but I found that it left me mostly hungry for stories that were actually peopled.

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm normally not fond of short stories but my mother knows I like this author and bought this for me. I loved it! each story was completely different and totally relatable. each story filled me with emotIon. This collection is well worth the read.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward to seeing this author at this year's Southern Voices.

These are all stories of men. Some of them are lonely, some are lost and all are searching. They mostly walk tenderly down a rough road.