“The writing in ‘Private Property,’ Debra Jo Immergut’s debut collection of stories, is so engagingly observant that the reader may be diverted at first from the impact of her disquieting vision….These stories contain incidents that push their characters to the extremes of experience, but Ms. Immergut’s mature pacing and procession of vivid detail keep them anchored in reality, adding welcome notes of hope to this dark, resonant collection.” — New York Times Book Review
From the jacket: In this powerful debut collection, Debra Jo Immergut conjures up an instantly recognizable world peopled by men and women who are bound by their own hidden longings, in thrall to secret – and often inappropriate – emotions. A young woman at war with her self-destructive impulses allows herself to be seduced by a devious acquaintance of her father in “River Road.” In “Frozen Niagara,” the desperate love of a sister for her older brother cannot circumvent his desire for freedom from his troubles.
“Debra Jo Immergut’s stories are distinctive for their ingenious plotting and arresting imagery, as well as their feeling and conviction. Private Property is a remarkable first collection.” — Madison Smartt Bell, author of All Soul’s Rising, winner of Dos Passos Award
DEBRA JO IMMERGUT 