Angel Maker: The Collected Short Stories of Sara Maitland

A woman obsessed with food devours her own plump and tasty baby. A young girl denounces her mother as a witch, then watches her writhe in pain as she burns at the stake. Whether she's dissecting failed relationships, condemning the oppression of women through the ages or recasting classical myths, Maitland (Ancestral Truths) has an undisguised penchant for the dark underside of life. Feminism, mysticism, guilt, confusion and, above all, an abiding love of creepy--even repulsive--details propel the 30 stories in this ambitious but uneven collection. Moody, murky, sometimes oppressive, many of the narratives read like imaginative vocal exercises in which the author explores a character (the wicked old crone of ""Hansel and Gretel"" fame; a 16th-century conquistador; a magician's abused assistant) by assuming his or her point of view and seeing how far she can take it. The more successful stories offer surprising narrative twists; others remain core samples of particular emotional states. Anything is possible in Maitland's weird world: sirens, dwarves, transvestites, talking seals and princesses make regular appearances amidst recipes for baked apples, tips on how to recognize a true fag hag, even a brief disquisition on the moons of Neptune. The results may range in quality, but Maitland's reach is breathtaking, her prose as liquid and potent as a witch's brew. Rights, other than electronic: A.P. Watt. (Aug.)