The Other Door: Stories

In Heuler's stories, readers are quickly drawn in to the slightly out-of-whack situations as well-drawn, apparently normal characters face some very weird dilemmas. ``The Revolt of Everyday Things'' is the story of Fran, who finally discourages a woman (who also happens to be her exact double) from buying her house, which is not for sale, by burning her beautiful garden to its roots. And in ``The Hole Story,'' a pot hole with properties more like a black hole appears in the middle of Main Street, sucking anything into its depths, including Laura and George. Kim's Uncle Maury shows her the true magic behind his tricks and the sparkling allure of a special summer night in ``One Spectacular God'': ``When the first aerial bomb burst, he held Kim's hand so tight that she complained. When the second bloomed, blue and pink in the air, he picked her up and her legs climbed his waist. Her head leaned back as the clusters broke out--spangled, dappled, bursting, dying.'' The title story examines the multitude of possibilities behind every closed door. These are truly short stories, but that doesn't detract from their vividness. By packing a few pages with image and meaning, Heuler deftly pulls the reader into her rather unreal reality. (Nov.)