In Envy Country

Set in Paris, California, Italy, and Spain, Joan Frank's second story collection explores the uncertainties and triumphs of women and men in and out of love and marriage, at varying ages and stages of contemporary American life. By turns wry, pained, and amused, In Envy Countryinvestigates those small, complex truths that gain clarity with time and distance. "Joan Frank shows us ourselves. . . . Meticulously observed, with sentences that will make you stop and go back for another look." -- Ehud Havazelet, author of Bearing the Bodyand Like Never Before "These stories each have a wonderful, intimate feel. . . . Written with authority and intelligence, they are layered and subtle . . . serious, and yet take us back to the sense of discovery; reading them is fun." -- Elizabeth Strout, author of Olive Kitteridge and Abide with Me "Nothing escaps Joan Frank; her stories of not-so-innocent bystanders gleam with subtlety, intelligence, and sly wit." -- Brian Morton, author of Breakable Youand Starting Out in the Evening "A worldly collection in all the best ways; a writer of unusual wit, sophistication, and psychological insight; reading these pages is a pleasure." -- Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street