Amber Caron's enigmatic gems

Hello fellow readers,

Unlike a novel, a short story often captures just a moment in time. A great story captures exactly the right moment: a phase change, a transition from one state to another. Stories can do almost everything a novel can do, but in miniature – a narrative arc, deep characterization, a viscerally felt sense of place, the exploration of the author’s themes and concerns – all contained within that pivotal moment. 

The stories in Amber Caron’s debut collection, Call Up the Waters, do all of this. Each is an enigmatic little gem, a prism placed in an essential moment within a fully realized world. The press copy from Milkweed – a terrific, discerning independent publisher – promises that in these stories, “the natural world is an escape hatch, a refuge, a site of work, and an occasional antagonist.” Indeed, the book is an extended contemplation on the power of the natural world; I loved the vivid descriptions and the wonderful variety of ways that it acts as its own character. The landscapes are often magical: a blizzard-filled forest in New Hampshire, a drought in Colorado, the barren and sere terrain of a Southwestern summer. Equally compelling, though, is Caron’s intuition about relationships of all sorts: romantic relationships, friendships, and the gray area in between; parents and children; bosses and employees; husbands and wives. Youth, young adulthood, middle- and old-age are all represented. There are subtle power dynamics at play everywhere. Two of my favorite relationships are the one in ‘The Handler’ between a deaf girl, the 20-something woman employed by her father, and a pack of sled dogs; and the one between two teen girls, one wealthy and one not, in ‘Barn Burning’. 

What makes the collection cohere is the focus on rural America and the struggles, especially of women and girls, to survive and thrive there. There is a lot of hunger, physical and emotional, alongside all manner of material insecurity and scarcity. And there are Caron’s acute observations, in every story, of the ways humans manage those stresses. 

I am so excited to be in conversation with Amber about her new collection in a virtual event on August 7. Here are the details:

CALL UP THE WATERS

A conversation with author Amber Caron

Monday, August 7, 2023

5:00 - 6:00 pm PT / 8:00 - 9:00 pm ET

On Zoom

The event is free, but please register to receive the Zoom link.

Call Up the Waters will be released next Tuesday, July 11, and you can purchase a copy directly from Milkweed. I hope you’ll have a chance to read some before the event, so you can offer your reflections and questions to Amber. As usual, there will be time for your participation after our conversation. 

I hope to see you there!

Yours in all things literary,

Jennifer

PS. At the author’s request, this event will not be recorded. That makes it more of an IRL experience — don’t miss it!