Awards

• Commended for Story Prize (Fiction Collection) 2014
• Runner-up for Discover Great New Writers (Fiction) 2013

Overview

""Wise and funny . . . [A] near-perfect collection."" --Entertainment Weekly Rebecca Lee, one of our most gifted and original short story writers, guides readers into a range of landscapes, both foreign and domestic, crafting stories as rich as novels. A student plagiarizes a paper and holds fast to her alibi until she finds herself complicit in the resurrection of one professor's shadowy past. A dinner party becomes the occasion for the dissolution of more than one marriage. A woman is hired to find a wife for the one true soulmate she's ever found. In all, Rebecca Lee traverses the terrain of infidelity, obligation, sacrifice, jealousy, and yet finally, optimism. Showing people at their most vulnerable, Lee creates characters so wonderfully flawed, so driven by their desire, so compelled to make sense of their human condition, that it's impossible not to feel for them when their fragile belief in romantic love, domestic bliss, or academic seclusion fails to provide them with the sort of force field they'd expected.

Full Product Details

9781616201739

Table of Contents

Reviews

The collection has so many good passages whole paragraphs that move into pages with never a misstep that any linguaphile could spend a great afternoon in a little spasm of dazzle. But a story is more than a collection of words, and these seven long tales demonstrate Lee s prodigious talent for creating not just great lines but intricately structured, impressively plotted worlds. The New York Times Book Review Mesmerizingly strange . . . Full of shivers and frissons . . . Highly imaginative stories . . . [Lee s] eccentric eloquence . . . makes Bobcat so potent and unpredictable. Janet Maslin for The New York Times Sometimes you reach the end of a story and go quietly, Oh. And sometimes you gasp and go, Holy guacamole! Not because a building fell down or a character died, but because the unexpected yet completely understandable came to pass and made you fall off your chair. Again and again this happens in Rebecca Lee's slim, sly, brilliant book Bobcat. Oprah.com Wise and funny . . . [A] near-perfect collection. Entertainment Weekly [W]ith deadpan humor, Lee s light touch illuminates the contrasts in everyday life warmth and cold, past and present, beauty and terror imbuing her realistic tales with quiet depth. Bust Astonishing prose . . . This fresh, provocative collection, peerless in its vehement elucidation of contemporary foibles, is not to be missed. Publishers Weekly, starred review [M]ake some room in your tote bag for this: Bobcat, a slim volume of short stories by a prodigiously talented writer, Rebecca Lee. Her work is at once effortless and exacting, sophisticated and ribald. Denver Post [A] breath of fresh air, squarely realist, but possessed of some of its own strange magic, the kind of book that it feels right to call dazzling and understated in the same breath. Flavorwire Lee covers a wide terrain in only seven stories, touching on fidelity, sacrifice, jealousy, and obligation, with stories that often dial

-The collection has so many good passages - whole paragraphs that move into pages with never a misstep - that any linguaphile could spend a great afternoon in a little spasm of dazzle. But a story is more than a collection of words, and these seven long tales demonstrate Lee's prodigious talent for creating not just great lines but intricately structured, impressively plotted worlds.---The New York Times Book Review-Mesmerizingly strange . . . Full of shivers and frissons . . . Highly imaginative stories . . . [Lee's] eccentric eloquence . . . makes Bobcat so potent and unpredictable.---Janet Maslin for The New York Times-Sometimes you reach the end of a story and go quietly, 'Oh.' And sometimes you gasp and go, 'Holy guacamole!' Not because a building fell down or a character died, but because the unexpected yet completely understandable came to pass--and made you fall off your chair. Again and again this happens in Rebecca Lee's slim, sly, brilliant book Bobcat.---Oprah.com-Wise and funny . . . [A] near-perfect collection.---Entertainment Weekly-[W]ith deadpan humor, Lee's light touch illuminates the contrasts in everyday life--warmth and cold, past and present, beauty and terror--imbuing her realistic tales with quiet depth.---Bust -Astonishing prose . . . This fresh, provocative collection, peerless in its vehement elucidation of contemporary foibles, is not to be missed.---Publishers Weekly, starred review-[M]ake some room in your tote bag for this: 'Bobcat, ' a slim volume of short stories by a prodigiously talented writer, Rebecca Lee. Her work is at once effortless and exacting, sophisticated and ribald.---Denver Post-[A] breath of fresh air, squarely realist, but possessed of some of its own strange magic, the kind of book that it feels right to call 'dazzling' and 'understated' in the same breath.---Flavorwire-Lee covers a wide terrain in only seven stories, touching on fidelity, sacrifice, jealousy, and obligation, with stories that often dial out slowly from tightly-focused beginnings.---PublishersWeekly.com, -Best Summer Books 2013- list-A shining example of furious and smart writing.---LibraryJournal.com-[An] arresting and distinctive short story collection . . . Lee's gorgeously crafted, scintillating stories are imaginative and incisive, funny and profound.---Booklist The collection has so many good passages - whole paragraphs that move into pages with never a misstep - that any linguaphile could spend a great afternoon in a little spasm of dazzle. But a story is more than a collection of words, and these seven long tales demonstrate Lee's prodigious talent for creating not just great lines but intricately structured, impressively plotted worlds. --The New York Times Book Review Mesmerizingly strange . . . Full of shivers and frissons . . . Highly imaginative stories . . . [Lee's] eccentric eloquence . . . makes Bobcat so potent and unpredictable. --Janet Maslin for The New York Times Sometimes you reach the end of a story and go quietly, 'Oh.' And sometimes you gasp and go, 'Holy guacamole!' Not because a building fell down or a character died, but because the unexpected yet completely understandable came to pass--and made you fall off your chair. Again and again this happens in Rebecca Lee's slim, sly, brilliant book Bobcat. --Oprah.com Wise and funny . . . [A] near-perfect collection. --Entertainment Weekly [W]ith deadpan humor, Lee's light touch illuminates the contrasts in everyday life--warmth and cold, past and present, beauty and terror--imbuing her realistic tales with quiet depth. --Bust Astonishing prose . . . This fresh, provocative collection, peerless in its vehement elucidation of contemporary foibles, is not to be missed. --Publishers Weekly, starred review [M]ake some room in your tote bag for this: 'Bobcat, ' a slim volume of short stories by a prodigiously talented writer, Rebecca Lee. Her work is at once effortless and exacting, sophisticated and ribald. --Denver Post [A] breath of fresh air, squarely realist, but possessed of some of its own strange magic, the kind of book that it feels right to call 'dazzling' and 'understated' in the same breath. --Flavorwire Lee covers a wide terrain in only seven stories, touching on fidelity, sacrifice, jealousy, and obligation, with stories that often dial out slowly from tightly-focused beginnings. --PublishersWeekly.com, Best Summer Books 2013 list A shining example of furious and smart writing. --LibraryJournal.com [An] arresting and distinctive short story collection . . . Lee's gorgeously crafted, scintillating stories are imaginative and incisive, funny and profound. --Booklist The collection has so many good passages whole paragraphs that move into pages with never a misstep that any linguaphile could spend a great afternoon in a little spasm of dazzle. But a story is more than a collection of words, and these seven long tales demonstrate Lee s prodigious talent for creating not just great lines but intricately structured, impressively plotted worlds. The New York Times Book Review Mesmerizingly strange . . . Full of shivers and frissons . . . Highly imaginative stories . . . [Lee s] eccentric eloquence . . . makes Bobcat so potent and unpredictable. Janet Maslin for The New York Times Sometimes you reach the end of a story and go quietly, Oh. And sometimes you gasp and go, Holy guacamole! Not because a building fell down or a character died, but because the unexpected yet completely understandable came to pass and made you fall off your chair. Again and again this happens in Rebecca Lee's slim, sly, brilliant book Bobcat. Oprah.com Wise and funny . . . [A] near-perfect collection. Entertainment Weekly [W]ith deadpan humor, Lee s light touch illuminates the contrasts in everyday life warmth and cold, past and present, beauty and terror imbuing her realistic tales with quiet depth. Bust Astonishing prose . . . This fresh, provocative collection, peerless in its vehement elucidation of contemporary foibles, is not to be missed. Publishers Weekly, starred review [M]ake some room in your tote bag for this: Bobcat, a slim volume of short stories by a prodigiously talented writer, Rebecca Lee. Her work is at once effortless and exacting, sophisticated and ribald. Denver Post [A] breath of fresh air, squarely realist, but possessed of some of its own strange magic, the kind of book that it feels right to call dazzling and understated in the same breath. Flavorwire Lee covers a wide terrain in only seven stories, touching on fidelity, sacrifice, jealousy, and obligation, with stories that often dial out slowly from tightly-focused beginnings. PublishersWeekly.com, Best Summer Books 2013 list A shining example of furious and smart writing. LibraryJournal.com [An] arresting and distinctive short story collection . . . Lee s gorgeously crafted, scintillating stories are imaginative and incisive, funny and profound. Booklist The collection has so many good passages whole paragraphs that move into pages with never a misstep that any linguaphile could spend a great afternoon in a little spasm of dazzle. But a story is more than a collection of words, and these seven long tales demonstrate Lee s prodigious talent for creating not just great lines but intricately structured, impressively plotted worlds. The New York Times Book Review Mesmerizingly strange . . . Full of shivers and frissons . . . Highly imaginative stories . . . [Lee s] eccentric eloquence . . . makes Bobcat so potent and unpredictable. Janet Maslin for The New York Times Sometimes you reach the end of a story and go quietly, Oh. And sometimes you gasp and go, Holy guacamole! Not because a building fell down or a character died, but because the unexpected yet completely understandable came to pass and made you fall off your chair. Again and again this happens in Rebecca Lee's slim, sly, brilliant book Bobcat. Oprah.com Wise and funny . . . [A] near-perfect collection. Entertainment Weekly [W]ith deadpan humor, Lee s light touch illuminates the contrasts in everyday life warmth and cold, past and present, beauty and terror imbuing her realistic tales with quiet depth. Bust Astonishing prose . . . This fresh, provocative collection, peerless in its vehement elucidation of contemporary foibles, is not to be missed. Publishers Weekly, starred review [M]ake some room in your tote bag for this: Bobcat, a slim volume of short stories by a prodigiously talented writer, Rebecca Lee. Her work is at once effortless and exacting, sophisticated and ribald. Denver Post [A] breath of fresh air, squarely realist, but possessed of some of its own strange magic, the kind of book that it feels right to call dazzling and understated in the same breath. Flavorwire Lee covers a wide terrain in only seven stories, touching on fidelity, sacrifice, jealousy, and obligation, with stories that often dial out slowly from tightly-focused beginnings. PublishersWeekly.com, Best Summer Books 2013 list A shining example of furious and smart writing. LibraryJournal.com [An] arresting and distinctive short story collection . . . Lee s gorgeously crafted, scintillating stories are imaginative and incisive, funny and profound. Booklist

The collection has so many good passages whole paragraphs that move into pages with never a misstep that any linguaphile could spend a great afternoon in a little spasm of dazzle. But a story is more than a collection of words, and these seven long tales demonstrate Lee s prodigious talent for creating not just great lines but intricately structured, impressively plotted worlds. The New York Times Book Review Mesmerizingly strange . . . Full of shivers and frissons . . . Highly imaginative stories . . . [Lee s] eccentric eloquence . . . makes Bobcat so potent and unpredictable. Janet Maslin for The New York Times Sometimes you reach the end of a story and go quietly, Oh. And sometimes you gasp and go, Holy guacamole! Not because a building fell down or a character died, but because the unexpected yet completely understandable came to pass and made you fall off your chair. Again and again this happens in Rebecca Lee's slim, sly, brilliant book Bobcat. Oprah.com Wise and funny . . . [A] near-perfect collection. Entertainment Weekly [W]ith deadpan humor, Lee s light touch illuminates the contrasts in everyday life warmth and cold, past and present, beauty and terror imbuing her realistic tales with quiet depth. Bust Astonishing prose . . . This fresh, provocative collection, peerless in its vehement elucidation of contemporary foibles, is not to be missed. Publishers Weekly, starred review [M]ake some room in your tote bag for this: Bobcat, a slim volume of short stories by a prodigiously talented writer, Rebecca Lee. Her work is at once effortless and exacting, sophisticated and ribald. Denver Post [A] breath of fresh air, squarely realist, but possessed of some of its own strange magic, the kind of book that it feels right to call dazzling and understated in the same breath. Flavorwire Lee covers a wide terrain in only seven stories, touching on fidelity, sacrifice, jealousy, and obligation, with stories that often dial out slowly from tightly-focused beginnings. PublishersWeekly.com, Best Summer Books 2013 list A shining example of furious and smart writing. LibraryJournal.com [An] arresting and distinctive short story collection . . . Lee s gorgeously crafted, scintillating stories are imaginative and incisive, funny and profound. Booklist

Author Information

Rebecca Lee is professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the author of The City Is a Rising Tide. Her fiction has been read on NPR's Selected Shorts, and her stories have been published in the Atlantic Monthly and Zoetrope. ""Fialto,"" which appears in this collection, was the winner of the National Magazine Award for fiction.

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