Love is Strange: Stories of Postmodern Romance

These 16 stories (some previously published in magazines and other collections) are not your ordinary love stories: they include a woman attracted to her friend's 14-year-old son and a boy in love with his sister's Barbie doll. Particularly strong selections are Lynn McFall's story of jealous love set to melancholy country tunes from a jukebox; David B. Feinberg's world-weary tale of the breakup of two gay New York City hipsters; and Patrick McGrath's exploration of a love affair during the abdication of King Edward VIII. David Wojnarowicz provides a chilling account of a young hustler searching for some scraps of comfort. The collection starts unevenly but builds to a vigorous finish with compelling stories by Rose and Texier ( Love Me Tender ), who co-edited the fiction magazine Between C and D. The settings vary from urban to rural but the stories are always carefully balanced between imagination and reality. These writers don't hesitate to look at the darker side of love, and so the collection is imbued with the presence of violence and a sense of bewilderment at both the pain and pleasure of love. (Feb.)