Rising Abruptly: Stories

Lore has it that the jagged little peak reveals itself only when you stand on it. —From "Jagged Little Peak"

Gisèle Villeneuve’s collection of mountain-based stories tests the elastic pull between passion and terror. Featuring daring, risk-taking girls and women, these smartly observed stories explore the myth and the mystery of mountains across the world, and the soaring human emotions evoked by them. A widely published Franco-Albertan writer, Villeneuve turned to her personal history to examine what lures urban dwellers to peaks and valleys. Through stories that play with form, language, and narrative, we discover mountains and women in different moods: enchanting, enigmatic, indifferent, yet utterly compelling. Rising Abruptly is perfect for anyone who climbs, loves a climber, enjoys sports literature, or simply glories in the allure of the mountains.