If the River Was Whiskey

ANNOTATION

Eccentrics, charlatans, and decent, vulnerable people. You'll find them all in this acclaimed collection of stories. From "Sorry Fugu, " the tale of an improbable romance between a restaurateur and a food critic, to "The Little Chill, " a chronicle of 60's survivors in arrested development, these works are magical, surprising, haunting, and hilarious.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In sixteen stories, T. Coraghessan Boyle tears through the walls of contemporary society to reveal a world at once comic and tragic, droll and horrific. Boyle introduces us to a death-defying stuntman who rides across the country strapped to the axle of a Peterbilt, and to a retired primatologist who can't adjust to the "civilized" world. He chronicles the state of romance that requires full-body protection in a disease-conscious age and depicts with aching tenderness the relationship between a young boy and his alcoholic father. These magical and provocative stories mark yet another virtuoso performance from one of America's most supple and electric literary inventors.

FROM THE CRITICS

New York Times Books of the Century

...[A]ll the linguistic acrobatics and hip, erudite audacity one expects from this author...

Publishers Weekly

The pleasure of pure storytelling makes Boyle's new collection of fiction a joy to read. The author (World's End) filters a diverse cast of characters through his witty, relentless narrative voice. Employing parody, social satire and traditional storytelling methods, Boyle's 16 stories invoke vastly different fictional worlds. The author gives us a death-defying stuntman (in ``Human Fly''), a fast-talking pitchman briefing the Ayatollah on how to improve his image (``Hard Sell''), a businessman who sells his soul to the devil (``The Devil and Irv Cherniske''), a New York construction worker's vision of the Virgin at a religious shrine in Ireland (``The Miracle at Ballinspittle''), even a young man romancing a woman pathologically afraid of germs (``Modern Love''). All of these stories seem fueled by the writer's own curiosity about people and places, but a few, unfortunately, read like throwaways. These stand out because most of the book is so full of diversity, wit and daring.

Library Journal

Boyle has won praise for his novels, particularly the exuberant Water Music, but his stories show him at his versatile best. This third collection ranges widely, from the gently humorous ``Sorry Fugu,'' about a restaurateur's encounter with a food critic, to the horrific ``King Bee,'' a portrait of a spiritual changeling. The only disappointing element is Boyle's frequent disdain for his characters; thus ``The Devil and Irv Cherniske'' is no more than a sour variation on a tired theme. But then along comes the deeply felt title story, about an alcoholic father and his failed relationship with his son, and all doubt vanishes. -- Grove Koger, Boise Public Library, Idaho

Library Journal

Boyle has won praise for his novels, particularly the exuberant Water Music, but his stories show him at his versatile best. This third collection ranges widely, from the gently humorous ``Sorry Fugu,'' about a restaurateur's encounter with a food critic, to the horrific ``King Bee,'' a portrait of a spiritual changeling. The only disappointing element is Boyle's frequent disdain for his characters; thus ``The Devil and Irv Cherniske'' is no more than a sour variation on a tired theme. But then along comes the deeply felt title story, about an alcoholic father and his failed relationship with his son, and all doubt vanishes. -- Grove Koger, Boise Public Library, Idaho

New York Times Books of the Century