The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories

The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories - Hardcover

$59.87
$59.87
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The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories
  • The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories
The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories - Hardcover

The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories - Hardcover

by Andrew Porter
$59.87
$59.87

Book Overview

These ten short stories explore loss and sacrifice in American suburbia. In idyllic suburbs across the country, from Philadelphia to San Francisco, narrators struggle to find meaning or value in their lives because of (or in spite of) something that has happened in their pasts. In "Hole," a young man reconstructs the memory of his childhood friend's deadly fall. In "The Theory of Light and Matter," a woman second-guesses her choice between a soul mate and a comfortable one.

Memories erode as Porter's characters struggle to determine what has happened to their loved ones and whether they are responsible. Children and teenagers carry heavy burdens in these stories: in "River Dog" the narrator cannot fully remember a drunken party where he suspects his older brother assaulted a classmate; in "Azul" a childless couple, craving the affection of an exchange student, fails to set the boundaries that would keep him safe; and in "Departure" a suburban teenage boy fascinated with the Amish makes a futile attempt to date a girl he can never be close to.

Memory often replaces absence in these stories as characters reconstruct the events of their pasts in an attempt to understand what they have chosen to keep. These struggles lead to an array of secretive and escapist behavior as the characters, united by middle-class social pressures, try to maintain a sense of order in their lives. Drawing on the tradition of John Cheever, these stories recall and revisit the landscape of American suburbia through the lens of a new generation.
ISBN9780820332093
Author Andrew Porter
PublisherUniversity of Georgia Press
GenreLiterature
FormatHardcover
PublishedOctober 2008
LanguageENG- English
Pages192
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Fiction Short Stories

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More by Andrew Porter

The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories

The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories - Hardcover

The Theory of Light and Matter: Stories - Hardcover

By Andrew Porter

About Andrew Porter

ANDREW PORTER is the author of the story collections The Disappeared and The Theory of Light and Matter and the novel In Between Days. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he has received a Pushcart Prize, a James Michener/Copernicus Fellowship, and the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. His short story "Angelo" was selected by Celeste Ng for the 2025 Best American Short Stories, and his work has appeared in One Story, Ploughshares, American Short Fiction, Narrative, The Southern Review, and on public radio's Selected Shorts. Currently, he teaches fiction writing and directs the creative writing program at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.

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