First published 2012
A bird-maker and star-catcher discover their shared past flows into the creatures they create and the celestial bodies they capture. Their connection transcends the ordinary world as birds carry memories and stars hold secrets between them. Meanwhile, a young woman finds herself growing beyond all boundaries. Her clothes become too small, her house too cramped, her entire town too limiting. She must leave everything behind to find a place vast enough for who she is becoming. In another story, a landlord experiences marriage, motherhood, separation, and sexual awakening all within the walls of a single apartment building. Her self-portraits become windows into transformation as she navigates the complexities of identity and desire. These three tales draw inspiration from Surrealist painters Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Dorothea Tanning. Barzak creates worlds where magic replaces psychology and women find space to escape, grow, and reinvent themselves.
Genres: literary-fiction, fantasy, contemporary, magical-realism
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, reinvention
110 pages · Paperback · Aqueduct Press