First published 2005
Charles D'Ambrosio crosses continents and cultures in these eleven essays. He examines manufactured housing in Washington state and walks through Hell House, a Pentecostal attraction in Texas. He visits dormitories in a Russian orphanage in Svrstroy and reads through family correspondence that feels both wide open and suffocating. In each location, D'Ambrosio finds people carrying cautious hope. He meets a gray whale advocate and the founder of Biosquat, an experimental community in Austin. He returns to his younger self hunting for culture in 1974 Seattle. He dissects the details of Mary Kay Letourneau's court case and thinks about how rain and memory both refuse to leave. D'Ambrosio uncovers optimism in unexpected places and people.
Genres: essays, literary-fiction, memoir, non-fiction
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Washington, Texas, Svrstroy, Austin, Seattle
Period: 1974
236 pages · Paperback · Clear Cut Pr Llc