Pricksongs and Descants (Robert Coover)

Robert Coover is a significant figure in the history of writing as the father of metafiction. Everyone who studies modern American literature will--or should--have studied his work, especially his quintessential story, The Babysitter, which is included in this anthology. How to explain Coover... hmmm.

Well, there are second-person narrated game show scenes where the object of the game is to avoid death. There is a magician who pulls more than rabbits out of his hat and, tragically, fails to pull out a sexy, protruding ass from the black brim. There is a magic poker, a little red riding hood remake and much much more. Be prepared for anything and for short paragraphs with alternating points of view, realities and voices. Confusion is the beauty, don't you see? No? Well, you will when you get the hang of it.

Read, live, love. Coover--my hero--was essential in the development of the curriculum at Brown, where I would attend school if sheer will were the only necessary component.