East Is West of Here: New & Selected Short Stories

Thompson is a woman's writer: the majority of these sensitive, rather wistful stories are about the small, intimate moments that sustain women in their relationships with others. In ""Robert's Song,'' a woman hears a song on the radio written by a former lover, now a rock-and-roll star, which sparks memories of a torrid relationship. ``The Stud'' portrays a man's relationship with his son, whom he fathered with a feminist. In every sense a stud, he was cold-bloodly chosen because he could be characterized as ``highly intelligent . . . physically sound. . . not bad looking . . . and nonaggressive.'' In ``Dreams of a New Mother,'' a woman nursing her newborn is overcome by fatigue and visited by a kaleidoscopic series of nightmares. Thompson is particularly good at describing the uneasy truce that exists between women, their husbands, children and lovers. The writing is traditional, accessible and strong; this is a collection worth noting. (September 1)