Bøger af Heather Folsom

Two characters, a reclusive professor of psychiatry and a brilliant, erratic student, are thrown together by circumstances beyond their control. Each has a theory of mind, gradually revealed and put to the test as a result of their interactions and conversations, as well as their encounters with a number of unusual characters: sideshow performers, an escape artist, three eccentric philosophers, and others. Like "The Plague" by Albert Camus, Heather Folsom's novel explores urgent contemporary themes: the nature of good and evil, truth, and freedom -- using allegory, irony, and Socratic discourse.

The title of the book refers to its content and thrust: relevant moral dilemmas presented as fictional tales. In the title story, the character Philosophie comes down from her mountain retreat to help a city which has gone morally astray. She finds that her innocent nudity is not welcome, and discovers a way to utilize clothing in order to further her task. With a beautifully minimalist prose style, Folsom's writing conveys similarities to Kafka's short stories or Aesop's fables, yet updated for the 21st century. Her engrossing allegories explore contemporary themes such as freedom, privacy, and violence, as well as the enduring problems of obsession, guilt, mortality, and pride. The book contains forty-two utterly original stories, ranging in length from five paragraphs to twenty-three pages.