All-purpose | Everything Else
Safe as Houses
by Eric Walters 2021-01-01 04:40:03
image1
COMPARE PRICE
Safe as Houses, the debut story collection of Marie-Helene Bertino, proves that not all homes are shelters. The titular story revolves around an aging English professor who, mourning the loss of his wife, robs other people''s homes of their sentiment... Read more
Safe as Houses, the debut story collection of Marie-Helene Bertino, proves that not all homes are shelters. The titular story revolves around an aging English professor who, mourning the loss of his wife, robs other people''s homes of their sentimental knick-knacks. In "Free Ham," a young dropout wins a ham after her house burns down and refuses to accept it. “Has my ham done anything wrong?” she asks when the grocery store manager demands that she claim it.
 
In "Carry Me Home, Sisters of Saint Joseph," a failed commercial writer moves into the basement of a convent and inadvertently discovers the secrets of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. A girl, hoping to talk her brother out of enlisting in the army, brings Bob Dylan home for Thanksgiving dinner in the quiet, dreamy "North Of." In “The Idea of Marcel,” Emily, a conservative, elegant girl, has dinner with the idea of her ex-boyfriend, Marcel. In a night filled with baffling coincidences, including Marcel having dinner with his idea of Emily, she wonders why we tend to be more in love with ideas than with reality. In and out of the rooms of these gritty, whimsical stories roam troubled, funny people struggling to reconcile their circumstances to some kind of American Ideal and failing, over and over. 
 
The stories of Safe as Houses are magical and original and help answer such universal and existential questions as: How far will we go to stay loyal to our friends? Can we love a man even though he is inches shorter than our ideal? Why doesn’t Bob Dylan ever have his own smokes? And are there patron saints for everything, even lost socks and bad movies?
 

All homes are not shelters. But then again, some are. Welcome to the home of Marie-Helene Bertino. 

Less
  • File size
  • Print pages
  • Publisher
  • Publication date
  • Language
  • ISBN
  • 9.25 X 5.5 X 1.1 in
  • 164
  • University of Iowa Press
  • October 1, 2012
  • English
  • 9780385664424
autor-image
Eric Walters
Author
Eric Walters, a former elementary-school teacher, is a bestselling children's author in Canada. He is the founder of Creation of Hope, which provides care for orphans in the Makueni district of Kenya,...
Compare Prices
image
Buy USD 3.98
image
Buy CAD 20.95
Available Discount
No Discount available
Related Books
view all
image1
Good Night, Little Blue Truck:
image1
Row, Row, Row Your Boat (Indestructibles Series):
image1
Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump:
image1
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (Indestructibles Series):
image1
Made for Me:
image1
Going to School:
image1
Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell:
image1
The Secret Wife: A captivating story of romance, passion and mystery:
image1
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick!:
image1
House of Shadows: An Enthralling Historical Mystery:
image1
Secrets Between Us: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller:
image1
Clean & Lean: 30 Days, 30 Foods, a New You!:
image1
The Silent Woman (Cat Carlisle, Book 1):
image1
Life Will Be the Death of Me: ...And You Too!:
image1
The Book Club:
image1
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal:
image1
Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?:
image1
The Wonderful Things You Will Be:
image1
American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race:
image1
We Are Not Friends (You Are Not Small):
image1
The Pout-Pout Fish:
image1
Hurricane Season:
image1
Feed Your Best Friend Better: Easy, Nutritious Meals and Treats for Dogs:
image1
Can't Make This Stuff Up!: Finding the Upside to Life's Downs:
image1
You Be You: Detox Your Life, Crush Your Limitations, and Own Your Awesome:

Stay in touch.

© 2025 AMPLE READS