Stephanie Soileau (Books)

Stephanie Soileau Books

Stephanie crafts narratives that delve into the intricate tapestry of human relationships and the profound emotions often concealed beneath the surface of everyday life. Her prose, celebrated for its lyrical quality and keen insight into the human psyche, explores themes of identity, loss, and the search for belonging. The author's distinctive style is marked by a precise command of language and an ability to render vivid imagery that resonates deeply with readers. Through her stories, Stephanie offers thoughtful reflections on the complex nature of human experience and the ways in which we are shaped by our memories and connections.

Last One Out Shut Off the Lights

256 pages
9 hours of reading

3.6(205)Add rating

A debut story collection from a rising star, revealing Louisiana and its characters with stark honesty and empathy as they grapple with homesickness, desperation, and desire. Last One Out Shut Off the Lights is a vivid and evocative portrait of the last-chance towns of southern Louisiana, where oil development, industrial pollution, dying wetlands, and the ever-present threat of devastating hurricanes have eroded their inhabitants' sense of home. These stories feature characters struggling to find a foothold in a world that is forever washing out from under them, and who must reckon with their ambivalence about belonging to a place so continually in flux. An overwhelmed mother leaves her infant son in a closet to buy herself a night out; a teacher with a terminally ill husband fantasizes about another man; an old man surveys the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina and decides the fate of a lost cat; and a young woman out of options tries to drag her obese brother to Mexico for surgery, desperate to save his life and her own. Stephanie Soileau's writing is a powerful reminder of the rich variety of American southern culture, and brings back into focus the language and customs that still make Louisiana so unique.