Absent Without Leave: And Other Stories — Jessica Treadway

Two sisters meet for the first time after their father has killed their sister and himself; a man dying of cancer rescues a small boy from a closed refrigerator; an alcoholic, long divorced, shows up at his daughter's wedding; a man who long ago abused his daughter realizes at last the full impact of what he has done. These are among the situations described in Absent Without Leave , and they hit with a force that will shake you, disturb you, and teach you the truths you do not already know. The tales are clear-eyed but deeply moving; the characters spring three dimensional and alive from her pages; the stories are dangerous and fearless and thus not sentimental. We are confronting life here, made vivid by art.