Quantum Convention |
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| Author:
| Schlich, Eric |
| Series title: | Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-1-57441-736-4 |
| Publication Date: | Nov 2018 |
| Publisher: | University of North Texas Press
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| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | USD $14.95 |
Book Description:
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Winner of the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award for Fiction
Quantum Convention's eight genre-bending stories balance precariously between reality and fantasy, the suburban and the magical, the quotidian and the strange. Caught at a crossroads in his marriage, a high school teacher attends a parallel universe convention, where he meets his multiple selves and explores the alternate paths of life's what-ifs.
More DescriptionWinner of the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award for Fiction
Quantum Convention's eight genre-bending stories balance precariously between reality and fantasy, the suburban and the magical, the quotidian and the strange. Caught at a crossroads in his marriage, a high school teacher attends a parallel universe convention, where he meets his multiple selves and explores the alternate paths of life's what-ifs.
The story of Margaret Hamilton, the actress who played the Wicked Witch of the West, parallels the coming of age of a cross-dressing boy whose crisis of identity is tied to The Wizard of Oz. Other stories feature characters labeled as "outcasts" by society--whether physically, morally, or fantastically: an alcoholic lucid dreamer, a closeted bisexual, a bachelor time-epileptic, orphans-turned-keeners, a vengeful banshee, a nerdy cyclops, and more. Many struggle to find what Dorothy and her entourage searched for: the wisdom to trust or discount their faith; the ability of the emotionally detached to love; the courage to speak up for oneself; a place to belong.