Mary Helen Stefaniak ist eine Autorin, deren Werke sich durch eine starke Erzählstimme und scharfe Einblicke in die menschliche Psyche auszeichnen. Ihre Geschichten erforschen oft komplexe Familienbande und kulturelle Identitäten mit einem Sinn für Details und Atmosphäre. Stefaniak verbindet meisterhaft Humor und Ernsthaftigkeit, um universelle Wahrheiten über Liebe, Verlust und die Suche nach Zugehörigkeit aufzudecken. Leser werden ihre Fähigkeit schätzen, lebendige Charaktere und unvergessliche Szenen zu erschaffen.
This collection of short essays delivers more joy than many books twice its size. Each essay invites readers into the ordinary life of a woman "with a family and friends and a job . . . and a series of cats and a history living in one old house after another at the turn of the twenty-first century in the middle of the Middle West." Writing prompts at the end of the book invite readers to search their own lives for such moments--the kind that could be forgotten but instead are turned, by the gift of perspective and perfectly chosen detail, into treasure. The Six-Minute Memoir encourages people to tell their own stories even if they think they don't have the kind of story that belongs in a memoir.
With help from Pondside Manor’s quirky, twentysomething kitchen worker Foster Kresowik, wheelchair-bound resident Robert Kallman creates The World of Pondside, a video game that delights the nursing home’s residents by allowing them to virtually relive blissful moments from days long past—or even create new ones.One-legged Duane Lotspeich is overjoyed when he can dance the tango again. Octogenarian Laverne Slatchek cheers on her favorite baseball team from the stands at Candlestick Park with her beloved husband—who died years ago. Even the overwhelmed Pondside administrator escapes her job by logging into a much more luxurious virtual world.Robert’s game enlivens the halls of Pondside Manor, but chaos ensues when he is found dead, submerged in the pond, still strapped into his wheelchair. If any resident witnessed his death, they’re not telling—either covering up or, quite possibly, forgetting. And it’s far from clear to anyone—including the police—if the death of this brilliant man, who suffered from ALS, was suicide or murder.When Robert’s video game goes dark, its players grow desperate. The task of getting it back online falls to young Foster, who enlists help from a raucous group of residents and staff. Their pursuit—virtual and real—has unintended consequences, uncovering both criminal activities and the dying wishes of Foster’s friend Robert. From Pondside Manor, this unlikely bunch of gamers embarks upon an astonishing journey—blissful, treacherous, and unforgettable.Packed with sharp wit and compassion, Mary Helen Stefaniak has written a rousing, perceptive, and utterly original novel.
