Children in the Woods

by Frederick Busch

The author of Absent Friends presents an unsettling anthology of stories, including "My Father, cont." in which a child fantasizes that he will be abandoned by his bickering parents, and other tales. National ad/promo.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

338 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Frederick Busch (1941–2006) was the recipient of many honors, including an American Academy of Arts and Letters Fiction Award, a National Jewish Book Award, and the PEN/Malamud Award. The prolific author of sixteen novels and six collections of short stories, Busch is renowned for his writing’s emotional nuance and minimal, plainspoken style. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he lived most of his life in upstate New York, where he worked for forty years as a professor at Colgate University.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

20 years on, and “Ralph the Duck” still gives me chills. The rest is pretty much meh.

[Kathy Cowie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, there are some heartbreaking stories in this collection. In my opinion, Busch has the rare ability to write male and female characters equally well. Unlike most short story collections, these were all winners for me. The only reason it took so long for me to read it was that I could put it down (between stories), and I wanted it to last.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very uneven. Some great stories here must not left me unmoved.

[Katie Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't stick with it... I relearn all the time that I am not a short story lover.

[Laureen Vonnegut · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of the stories were a bit too 'soft' for me, but there were other ones that made up for it.