Corn Maiden — Joyce Jones

In 1974, Ruth Kristinsdatter, a housewife whose last of four children has gone off to college, sets off from her safe and conventional life on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle to try to find what's left of who she was before her wife and mother roles took over her life.

Her quest is sidetracked by Johnny, a young Native American man, who rescues her from a frightening stalker, and the two feel an immediate psychic and physical attraction. She follows Johnny, and begins a strange, erotic journey, part legend and part history lesson, in which Johnny's obsession with his tribal past presents Ruth with physical and emotional challenges beyond her wildest imaginings.

Only recently discovered after being lost for 30 years, this very feminine 'retro' story is told in a lyrical stream of consciousness narrative. Joyce Jones has woven an intricate tapestry of psychology and legend in the vivid colors of the Pacific Northwest.