The Distance Between Us

by Valerie Sayers

The romance between Franny, a free-wheeling Southern girl, and Steward, an obedient trust-fund kid, survives over the years despite her marriage, his success, and miles of separation

520 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Valerie Sayers was born and raised in Beaufort, South Carolina, which became the thinly disguised Due East of her fiction, and educated in New York, where she lived for many years. She is the author of a collection of stories, The Age of Infidelity, and six novels: The Powers; Brain Fever and Who Do You Love, which were named "Notable Books of the Year" by the New York Times; Due East, which also appeared in five foreign editions; and How I Got Him Back. A film based on her first two books, Due East, premiered on Showtime, and she has published many stories, essays, and reviews. Her literary awards include a National Endowment for the Arts literature fellowship and a Pushcart Prize. She is Professor of English at the University of Notre Dame, where her students keep her hopping and experimenting with new ideas and new forms.

Reviews

[Caryn]

UPDATE: I gave up. if anything remarkable happens to these characters, I don't care! the writing is heavy and ponderous, and I strongly disagree with the idea that this author can be compared to Reynolds Price -- who does create lyrical talents! It is now on a pile to give away.

I am not sure why I am reading this. The thought right now is "what's the point" or "get on with it already." I am thinking of setting it aside and trying Sayers earlier works instead, to get a frame of reference for Due East. Nothing in any review that I have found tells me anything about this book, about the story or characters that I haven't already learned in the first 50 pages. So I am wondering if anyone has actually finished it?