The Earth and the Sky : Stories

Wesselmann's debut collection contains richly varied stories with a wide range of cultural knowledge. Hers is a curiosity directed at understanding events from different perspectives and a compassionate engagement with questions of the various forms of exile--moral, spiritual, geographical, and emotional--whether the setting is Taipei, Florence, Tornado Alley (in Texas and Oklahoma), or the Andean foothills. In lyrical prose Wesselmann creates characters who bridle against what is expected of them despite the pull of a social or cultural imperative--and despite their own inclination to embrace it. The men and women in these thoughtful, moving stories spanning five continents share the desires, loves, and hardships of being human.