Peering into the often unnoticed corners of life, Kevin Brockmeier has been consistently praised for the originality of his vision, the boundlessness of his imagination and the command of his craft.
Once again, in this new collection of fiction, Brockmeier shows us a fantastical world that is intimately familiar but somehow distant and beautiful. From the touching title story, where a young, antisocial woman imagines her escape into the sky with an apparition only she can see, to the haunting story of a pastor tempted by something less than divine, Brockmeier moves effortlessly from the extraordinary to the everyday, while challenging us to see the world anew. Stunning, elegant, profound, and playful, The View from the Seventh Layer cements Kevin Brockmeier’s place as one of the most creative and compassionate writers of his generation.
Stray Questions for: Kevin Brockmeier (Gregory Cowles for New York Times ArtsBeat)
Describe a typical day in your writing life.
I go about it all wrong.
I can’t remember who said that writing a story is like cleaning a kitchen floor: you begin with one small square of tile, which you sweep to its borders, making sure you’ve removed every speck of dirt. After that, you scrub the square with a wet cloth, treating the deeper stains. Then you buff it dry. Then you move on to the next square and repeat the process. When you’ve finished with the second square, you return to the first to see if it needs any additional attention. And so you continue, square by square, until you’ve cleaned the entire kitchen floor.
Reviews
“Some writers show us the world we live in. Brockmeier shows us, instead, the one we might live in if only we had a little more imagination.”
—Los Angeles Times
“[Filled] with lyrical grace, indelible characters and deep insight. . . . Startlingly original.”
—Tucson Citizen
“Powerfully affecting. . . . Carefully observed. . . . A field of sparks set ablaze by Brockmeier’s artistic hand.”
—The Miami Herald
“Devilishly addictive. . . . Brockmeier slakes our thirst once again with rich language, measured telling, [and] a hint of wonder.”
—The Seattle Times