From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest

An astronomer grieving over the death of his wife; an Asian-American medic bicycling through the countryside where she once held dying soldiers; the words of a Beatles’ song sung in a Cambodian work camp; a young rock-a-billy aficionado slicking back his hair in a Ukrainian village; a group of housewives smoking cigars and playing cards while a tornado approaches their west Texas town; and a Native American castaway carving faces on trees—the stories and characters in this diverse collection from the acclaimed novelist Mitch Cullin provide a fascinating gloss on events that have taken place since World War II. They begin at a remote Japanese beach house and end on an unnamed Alaskan island. These are stories about isolation, remembrances of past experiences, and the sometimes inaccurate nature of memory. Cullin’s stories examine individuals who have survived momentous, often horrific, social upheavals—where relationships and common day-to-day life are suddenly shaken by unforeseen circumstances.

From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest is a collection that deftly suggests we are all emigrants from personal histories we recall only fleetingly—moments that draw us back, but, as we imagine them, seem increasingly difficult to grasp. These polished and graceful stories are further evidence of the kind of work that makes Cullin one of our best, young writers.