What World Is This and Other Stories

Sometimes a person from that part of the state will guess who I am, which is embarrassing for both of us. It's been a long time since we were in the news, and no one lives at the cabin now, but from time to time sightseers visit there. Occasionally a believer will leave flowers, but sometimes there are crude, angry words painted on the deserted ruin. When I return I do so quietly, careful not to be seen, for I was the one who caused all the trouble.... "What World Is This" by Gloria...
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Sometimes a person from that part of the state will guess who I am, which is embarrassing for both of us. It's been a long time since we were in the news, and no one lives at the cabin now, but from time to time sightseers visit there. Occasionally a believer will leave flowers, but sometimes there are crude, angry words painted on the deserted ruin. When I return I do so quietly, careful not to be seen, for I was the one who caused all the trouble.... "What World Is This" by Gloria Whelan - 1st Place Winner Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction - Short Story Category National Book Award Winner So begins the selected short stories of What World Is This and Other Stories. Gloria Whelan's story bridges the gap between childhood and maturity by discerning make believe from real belief. "Lily on the Bus" by Natalia Sarkissian also seeks to connect Point A (doubt) to Point Z (belief), showing that faith is a journey one must make--but never alone. The third place winner, Mary Finnegan's "The Edge of All Things," asks what place forgiveness has in faith; along the way, her character discovers how mercy is often the companion we least expect on the journey--and is usually behind the wheel the whole time. Providing an arena for faith somewhere between the mythical and historical, Cynthia Millen's "Children of Niobe" also intones the theme of forgiveness--while demonstrating mercy's power to transcend the historical forces that would inveigh against the possibility of compassion. Among the honorable mentions, the believability of belief shines with the right sort of balance of light and shadow. In the eight stories gathered here, Tuscany Press has created a compelling collection. What World Is This ~ Lily on the Bus ~ The Edge of All Things Children of Niobe ~ The Hour of Our Death ~ Chimbote The Test ~ The Appraisal Rediscover short stories--especially short stories that see the world with a Catholic perspective which embraces the temporal and the divine, the sinner and the saint, the ordinary and the extraordinary.