«Extreme Magic» by Hortense Calisher

The recognition of failure and success is the theme of these eight short stories and the title novella from three-time National Book Award finalist Hortense CalisherExtreme Magic is Hortense Calisher’s third collection of shorter works, after In the Absence of Angels (1951) and Tale for the Mirror (1962). Follow a drifting husband as he returns home and finds middle age in “A Christmas Carillon.” Listen with a daughter as she overhears a painful argument between her parents in “The Gulf Between.” Travel with a broken man as he heals after a tragic loss in “Extreme Magic.” Once again, Calisher captivates with her expressionistic prose and intricate characters.