First published 2001
These twelve stories move between the shadows of American society, where traditional families have crumbled and outcasts search for new forms of connection. Characters drift through rock clubs and crime scenes, seeking love in places polite society ignores. A young man rebuilds his identity after losing everything he thought defined him. Lovers create makeshift families from the wreckage of nuclear ideals. The desperate and dispossessed navigate violence that grows more brutal each day. Brite cuts through sanitized reality to expose the raw underbelly where her characters struggle to survive. Even in the darkest moments, when humanity seems lost, something flickers beneath the surface. Hope persists in unexpected places. Beauty emerges from ugliness. The stories refuse easy answers about pain, violence, love, and death, instead forcing readers to question what they believe about all four.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intimate, raw
Setting: America
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
252 pages · Paperback · Au diable Vauvert
Content warnings: abuse, graphic-violence, violence