Heartbroke

Starred review from January 31, 2022
This wrenching collection from Bieker (Godshot) follows characters who wager on hope despite long odds and broken promises. In “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Miners,” a bartender’s aspiration to attend a community college writing class is thwarted by her miner boyfriend, whose increasingly controlling behavior echoes her family history. “Cowboys and Angels,” about a naive phone sex operator who falls for a con man, is darkly comic, though overall the mood is one of fragile optimism that’s easily shattered. In “Women and Children First,” a woman whose own daughter has been placed in foster care seizes a doomed opportunity to nurture an addict’s baby. In the title story, a grieving mother writes (but doesn’t send) letters to her young gay son about the siblings he never knew, chasing an improbable desire to “feel my joy and know it was safe to feel joyful.” Most stories are written in first person, their narrators giving vivid voice to the longings they still nurture despite everything. Throughout, Bieker’s deeply human narrators bend the reader’s ear with memorable stories. Agent: Samantha Shea, Georges Borchardt Agency.

September 1, 2022

This collection of 11 short stories examines the extensive range of interpersonal relationships, from parents to partners to siblings. Each heart-wrenching story follows the melancholy m�lange of flawed main characters through life, love, and loss. Subjects include poverty, abuse, murder, addiction, betrayal, and more, with only the backdrop of California's Central Valley to tie them all together. As the title implies, each story features unimaginable heartbreak, yet an undeniable glimmer of hope. Bieker (Godshot) uses her gritty writing style to craft character-driven storylines that are both alluring and agonizing. Even readers who don't relate directly to the events will come away with a deep emotional connection to the characters. Narrator Emily Durante defies the air of desperation and dysfunction with a sedate, even tone during the most fraught moments. Durante's straightforward presentation of the narrative complements the honest and open emotions of the characters. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners looking for a captivating but cumbersome narrative; full of strife but sprinkled with sanguine glimpses of optimism and ambition. Recommended for fans of Elizabeth Strout, Xhenet Aliu, and Neel Mukherjee.--Lauren Hackert

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