In the Mountains of America — Meredith Sue Willis

Terrific stories. rueful, humorous, close to the bone. You cannot help but like and feel for Willis's characters. In these stories you hear the pure mental clarity and honesty of distilled experiences, and a life-long dedication to craft. -PHILLIP LOPATE MEREDITH Sue Willis's stories give us a view of Appalachian life full of unexpected revelations. Her writing -like the quilts described in the closing story, "Family Knots"-is exquisitely rendered with multiple textures and hues, in patterns formed of intricate details, complex designs, and fine craft work. Critical Praise for Meredith Sue Willis.- We read it for the primal pleasure given by fiction--to witness people as they come alive in words and involve us in their actions and feelings. This is a writer who can make that happen." -NEWSDAY Willis's breathtakingly subtle soundings of homes and small towns reaffirm her as a writer of real consequence." KIRKUS REVIEWS Willis makes a familiar story fresh and engaging with her wise perceptions and unusual language. .. [She] draws her characters with a swift, sure hand." -SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE