Aimee Bender is celebrated for her imaginative and original storytelling, often blurring the lines between the fantastical and the real. Her distinctive style features a playful yet piercing introspection into the human psyche, exploring themes of loss, identity, and the search for meaning in everyday life. Bender masterfully employs metaphor and unconventional scenarios to reveal profound truths about the human experience. Her prose is poetic, poignant, and unforgettable, earning her widespread admiration.
In Willful Creatures Aimee Bender takes us on a journey to a fantastical world in which authentic love blossoms. With the mix of charm and keenly felt emotion that characterised her New York Times bestseller The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Bender once again proves herself to be a masterful chronicler of the human condition.
'The Butterfly Lampshade is an unflinching, empathetic portrayal of a childhood touched by mental illness. As always, Aimee Bender's respect for the child and the child within translates into wisdom and magic on the page.' Jing-Jing Lee, author of How We Disappeared On the night her mother is taken to a mental hospital after a psychotic episode, eight year-old Francie is mesmerised by a lamp adorned with butterflies as she falls asleep. When she wakes, Francie sees a dead butterfly matching the ones on the lamp floating in a glass of water. She drinks it before anyone sees. Twenty-years later, Francie is compelled to make sense of that moment and two other incidents that have haunted her life. But how close are her memories to reality and will she ever be free of them?
Exploring the complexities of desire, Aimee Bender's collection presents a surreal landscape where reality blurs with the extraordinary. The narratives delve into the lives of men and women, revealing how their intense desires shape and distort their experiences. Each story invites readers into a unique realm that challenges perceptions and ignites the imagination, showcasing Bender's distinctive storytelling style.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, a Richard and Judy bookclub pick, returns with a wonderful collection of enchanting, strange and magical stories.
Aimee Bender's first novel expands on her reputation as a unique voice in American fiction, following her acclaimed debut collection. This narrative showcases her distinctive style and imaginative storytelling, further establishing her talent and creativity in the literary world.
_______________________________ On the eve of her ninth birthday, Rose Edelstein bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift- she can taste her mother's emotions in the slice. All at once her cheerful, can-do mother tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes perilous. Anything can be revealed at any meal. Rose's gift forces her to confront the truth behind her family's emotions - her mother's sadness, her father's detachment and her brother's clash with the world. But as Rose grows up, she learns that there are some secrets even her taste buds cannot discern. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is about the pain of loving those whom you know too much about, and the secrets that exist within every family. At once profound, funny, wise and sad, this is a novel to savour. _______________________________ Now available to preorder- Aimee Bender's new novel, The Butterfly Lampshade
A Vintage Contemporaries Original Includes: Jim Shepard's "Tedford and the Megalodon" Glen David Gold's "The Tears of Squonk, and What Happened Thereafter" Dan Chaon's "The Bees" Kelly Link's "Catskin" Elmore Leonard's "How Carlos Webster Changed His Name to Carl and Became a Famous Oklahoma Lawman" Carol Emshwiller's "The General" Nick Hornby's "Otherwise Pandemonium" Stephen King's "The Tale of Gray Dick" Michael Crichton's "Blood Doesn’t Come Out" Laurie King's "Weaving the Dark" Chris Offutt's "Chuck’s Bucket" Dave Eggers's "Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly" Michael Moorcock's "The Case of the Nazi Canary" Aimee Bender's "The Case of the Salt and Pepper Shakers" Harlan Ellison's "Goodbye to All That" Karen Joy Fowler's "Private Grave 9" Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes" Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance" Sherman Alexie's "Ghost Dance"