THE TRUTH ABOUT ME: STORIES
Winner of the 2018 Independent Publishing Book Award for Short Story
Finalist for the the 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards
ISBN: 978-0-9988014-0-7
Binding: Trade paper
Pages: 160
Author: Louise Marburg
In this debut of extraordinary stories, notions of love and self are turned upside down by characters who encounter their own shortcomings, secrets, and inventions. No matter what their station in life, the characters in these wry and moving stories face moments in which the shock of being, and becoming, comes from within. These stories show us how to navigate intimacy, confront imperfection, and like so many of the characters here must, endure the private pain that separates us from others.
Praise for The Truth About Me
These stories are pleasurably startling, even thrilling. Louise Marburg's characters go through the shifts and sunderings of life in vivid and lyrically direct prose, and your blood jumps. Smart, assured, masterful stories from a wonderfully audacious new voice.
—Richard Bausch, author of Before, During, After and Living in the Weather of the World
Louise Marburg’s collection, The Truth About Me, is wonderful. These are smart and lovely stories, perceptive, compassionate, and sometimes shocking. Who are these people, so helpless in the currents that surround them? Marburg reveals their cowardice, their flaws, and their deep capacities to engage the heart.
—Roxana Robinson, author of Sparta: A Novel
The Truth About Me, Louise Marburg’s stunning debut collection, offers powerful, finely crafted stories and a myriad of memorable characters—some looking out at the world from behind a curtain, others peering in. What is at the core of each is human fragility: addiction, mental illness, grief, longing. Marburg knows how to take those dark breathtaking turns and then ease us into a place of understanding and compassion. She also has a wonderful sense of humor and an uncanny eye for locating the absurd, prompting laughter where you least expect it. A terrific collection by a very talented writer.
—Jill McCorkel, author of Life After Life and Going Away Shoes
The Truth About Me is cleverly titled, as its author’s capacious heart has room for a vast array of very different characters, each of whom receives the fully serious respect and sympathy in the telling of his or her story. In this way, every reader can find "me" here, not to mention truth. A very fine collection.
—Antonya Nelson, author of Funny Once: Stories
About the author
Louise Marburg holds an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University's School of the Arts, and her stories have been published in many fine journals. She lives in New York City with her husband, the artist Charles Marburg.
Read an interview with Louise Marburg here.
Course adoptions
The Truth About Me is perfect for course adoptions and may be used in a number of classes, including literature seminars, creative writing workshops, gender studies, and others. Supplemental educational materials prepared by WTAW Director of Studies Michael Collins are available to those who adopt our books. Professors may also receive a complimentary exam copy. Please contact us directly. You can also order the hard copy book through our distributor, Small Press Distribution.